Moomba emblem – clown and boomerang c1954

Summary

Framed colour clown and boomerang illustration which became the emblem of the Moomba logo. A piece of paper has been glued on to the bottom right corner of the artwork, with the artist's signature showing through a window cut in the paper. Painted by Melbourne-based artist Ronald Kirk, the illustration was selected through a design competition run by the Herald. The competition was open to all - young and old, professional and amateur - and awarded prizes of £75 for 1st place, £20 for 2nd and £5 for 3rd. Drawing on the Aboriginal origin of the festival’s name and embodying its then uncontested meaning, Kirk’s design incorporates that most recognisable of indigenous symbols, the boomerang, in the form of a clown. Through the years, the emblem has been transfigured to reflect its changing uses and the changing aesthetics of the times. For example, it can be seen in modified form on festival programs, street decorations and as branding on the label of the commemorative bottle of Spumante.