standing before the canvas in a pose like a fencer; it is no gentle dab dab. Smith is touchy. suspicious, easily upset discussing the Dobell matter. Several times during the interviews ...

It has torn at every day of my life." Detail of Mr Joshua Smith (1943), by William Dobell, oil on canvas 107 x 76 cm. Private collection. Curator and art historian Dr Christopher Heathcote says ...

The price is a new record for a painting by Dobell, a three-time winner of the Archibald Prize, who died 49 years ago. Dobell's most recognised Archibald Prize subject was painter and art patron ...