Boats at Viareggio harbour

Title: Boats at Viareggio harbour
Short summary / description: Sergeant Robert Dunlop Burge (N386934) was in charge of the Engineering section at Cowra prisoner of war camp from 15 May 1942 to 29 April 1947. During his service as a guard, Sergeant Burge formed friendship with several of the prisoners, including Italian artist Carlo Vannucci. Vannucci had been captured in Libya and transported by the US Navy to Australia, where he was interned in Cowra. Sergeant Burge organised paints and canvas from old flour bags for Vannucci and other artists in the camp.
"Sometime later on a routine workshop inspection Vannucci took me by surprise with a gift of a framed painting which he had signed" Burge said in 1975, in an article published in the local paper at the time, as reported by the 'Cowra Guardian', 5 June 2014. "It was an impression of a sea view in this home town Viareggio, an Italian well known seaside resort ... The painting was an expression of Vannucci's thanks".
Dimensions: Framed: 42 cm x 34.2 cm; Unframed 29.2 cm x 21.3 cm x .5cm
(AWM2017.968.6 Catalogue Sheet)
Creative Work type: Drawings and paintings
Material: oil paint (paint); canvas (textile materials)
Place created: Cowra Prisoner of War Camp 12
Place held: Australian War Memorial
Creator(s): Vannucci, Carlo
Date of creation: 1942
Copyright information / URL: Carlo Vannucci, Boats Viareggio (c. 1942-1947, oil on canvas, 30.7 x 39.7 cm ) Australian War Memorial AWM2017.968.6