There are illustrated art books, then there are family memoirs, and Christabel Blackman has combined the two in this celebration of her parents’ first 10 years together.

Charles, one of Australia’s foremost figurative painters, died in 2018, aged 90, after three marriages, each ending in divorce. Barbara Blackman, aged 95, is a writer, poet, essayist, arts patron, model and broadcaster.

When visiting her mother, the couple’s only daughter, Christabel, found a folder of letters sent to Barbara by Charles before and after their marriage, which lasted 27 years. Many of the letters, written in his almost illegible scrawling hand, have been reproduced, but the reader also finds their content in the narrative.

What makes this book notable are the reproductions of Charles’ sketches and paintings, many now held in collections, as well as photographs of the couple, family and friends.

As an art conservator Christabel knew that the letters and sketches were important. Charles’ first great success came with his ‘Schoolgirl’ series of paintings.

A group showing with the Antipodeans rocketed him to success, followed by five years in London and another stint in Paris. Christabel has avoided mention of the alcoholism that contributed to Charles’ divorces, but has dedicated the book to her parents, showcasing their talent, their dreams and the mix of intellectuals, artists and patrons with whom they mixed, part of Australia’s cultural landscape in those heady days between 1949 and 1959.

Reviewed by Jennifer Somerville