My friend Marco’s dad passed away yesterday.
Marco’s dad was Tom Bass, the famous Australian sculptor. One of his most best known works is the P&O wall fountain on Hunter Street. Oz Magazine published a photo of it being used as a urinal in 1964 with a caption that read ‘A trio of Sydney natives P&Oing in the Bass urinal.’ The editors were promptly sued and jailed for obscenity and encouraging public urination.
I went to high school with Marco. And we shared a house in our first year at university. My abiding memory of his dad was visiting him in his studio on Broadway in Sydney.
His studio was light and dusty and there always seemed to be a life model or two hanging around. To a young guy who grew up on the outskirts of Sydney it was all very exciting and bohemian.
It also planted the germ of a thought that there may be more to the world than flannelette shirts and ugh boots.
We all know where that led.
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I used to work just down the street from there, on the corner of Hunter and Castlereagh. Thanks for the background, I was always fascinated by the installations like that one, and the “Shish Kebab” that got moved from Martin Place to near Australia Square…
I met Tom only once.
I was enthralled.
I just wanted to sit and listen to him all day, but he introduced another speaker. Drat !
Tom wrote a marvellous article in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Several people were asked to write under the title “Wisdom of the Elders.”
A fascinating man.
Like him, I hope to have a late life baby (I’m 57).
Any hints from above, Tom?