John Olsen

John Olsen was one of Australia's most celebrated and beloved painters, widely regarded as a giant of Australian modernism. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney before travelling extensively in Europe during the 1950s, where he absorbed the influence of Spanish expressionism, particularly the work of Joan Miró, as well as Abstract Expressionism and European gestural painting. These experiences profoundly shaped his exuberant, vitalist approach to painting, which married European modernist sensibilities with an intense response to the Australian landscape and its unique ecology. Olsen became famous for his joyous, calligraphic canvases filled with wriggling lines, organic forms, and vibrant colour, a style that evoked the teeming life of the Australian bush, its waterways, frogs, birds, and flora. Among his most iconic works are the large-scale mural 'Sydney Sun' (1973), commissioned for the Sydney Opera House, and his celebrated series depicting Lake Eyre (Kati Thanda) flooded with water, a subject he returned to across decades. His paintings pulse with energy and a sense of celebration of the natural world, often incorporating figurative elements dissolved into abstract fields of mark-making. Olsen was a recipient of numerous honours, including the Order of Australia and the Archibald Prize. He was represented by major galleries across Australia and his works are held in virtually every major Australian public collection, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He remained active and prolific well into his later years, continuing to paint until near the end of his life. His death in 2023 at age 95 marked the passing of a towering figure whose influence on Australian art spanned more than seven decades.