Augustine Dall'Ava

Augustine Dall’Ava was born in Grenoble, France, in 1950 and arrived in Australia in 1955. In 1973 he graduated with a Diploma of Fine Art (in sculpture) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and a Master of Fine Art at Monash University, Melbourne, in 1994. Dall’Ava travelled to Japan in the 1970s with two of his contemporaries, sculptors Geoffrey Bartlett and Anthony Pryor, an experience which reinforced his appreciation of craftmanship and his reverence for natural materials.

Dall’Ava’s sculptural assemblages incorporate materials such as wood and stone, often manipulated in form and colour and precariously balanced within the greater, often architectural structure of the work. His works combine exquisite craftsmanship with a contemplative surrealist sensibility.

Dall’Ava’s works are held in public collections including the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria; Parliament House, Canberra; and RMIT University, Melbourne.