Arthur Boyd is one of Australia’s best-known artists. A humanist known for his landscapes and allegorical paintings, his narrative subjects were frequently based on Biblical or metaphysical themes. Sleeping bride 1957–58 is from the artist’s major allegorical series entitled ‘Love, Marriage and Death of a Half-Caste’ (also known as the ‘Brides’), which arose from his travels to central Australia in 1953. The ‘Brides’ series is one of the most significant achievements in Australian Modernism.
