Adrian Rodney Newstead, (born 1948) is a Sydney-based gallerist, art dealer, author and art commentator. He is notable for his long-term role in the development of the contemporary Aboriginal art market. His Coo-ee Gallery in Bondi is the oldest dedicated Aboriginal art gallery in Australia, having opened in Paddington in 1981.[1] It was among the earliest galleries to promote Urban Indigenous art[2] and organised the first exhibition of Tiwi art in 1983.[3]
Adrian Newstead served as the head of Aboriginal art for the Lawson-Menzies auction house from 2003 to 2007, facilitating among other sales the purchase of Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s "Earth's Creation" for $1,056,000 in 2007.[4] He was head of auction house Deutscher-Menzies in 2007. His 2014 book The Dealer is the Devil: An Insider’s History of the Aboriginal Art Trade recounts the history of the Aboriginal art movement from an art dealer’s perspective.[5] Newstead was one of the founders of the Australian Indigenous Art Trade Association (Art.Trade).[6] As a commentator he has been vocal on a number of issues including the Resale Royalty Scheme.[7]
In 2016, Newstead received an Order of Australia Medal "for service to the museum and galleries sector, particularly through the promotion of Indigenous arts."[8] [9] The same year he organised the first touring exhibition of Australian Aboriginal art in South America, O Tempo dos Sonhos, along with Indigenous curator Djon Mundine and Brazilian curator Clay D'Paula.[10]