Two plays by Sidney Nolan who was one of Australia’s most important modernist artists, are being sold at auction for the first time.

Projects “In Town” and “Desert Bird” both created in late 1948, shortly before the Australian artist’s first exhibition in March 1949, when he presented a series of paintings inspired by his travels in remote Queensland, at the David Jones Gallery in Sydney.

The “Desert Bird” painting was purchased by the current owner’s family in early 1949 for $2,300 (today’s price). It is estimated to sell for $500,000 to $700,000 at auction in Sydney.

It is believed to be the first painting Nolan has sold to a collector, as his works until then were only bought by friends or acquaintances, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper.

Around the same time as “Desert Bird,” Nolan painted “In Town” and gave it to his wife, Cynthia, for Christmas in 1948. It was inherited by their daughter Jinx Nolan after Cynthia’s death in 1976, and it was not ever sold.

The painting has been moved from Jinx Nolan’s US home to Australia, where it is estimated to sell for $300,000 to $500,000.