From the author of 'A Small Unsigned Painting' comes another exciting art thriller. A missing masterpiece that may hold the clue to a nation's destiny . . .
'The National Picture' is the story of amateur art historian, collector and sleuth Stephen Scheding's obsession with the existence and location of what can only be described as the "Holy Grail" of Australian art: the mythical painting by Benjamin Duterreau called 'The National Picture'.
Supposedly painted in Hobart in the 1840s, the painting depicts the "conciliation" of the Tasmanian Aborigines by the missionary George Augustus Robinson.
The author's efforts to locate Duterreau's masterpiece results in a wild goose chase in Australia and overseas. A fascinating art whodunnit (or rather, a "wherediditgoit"!), Stephen Scheding presents a timely analysis of the nature of black/white conciliation in the 19th century, drawing a parallel with 21st century Australia and its present day struggles with Reconciliation.
