Sidney Nolan exhibition brings his Ned Kelly works to Art Gallery NSW
Art Gallery NSW opens Nolan: Origins, showing Sidney Nolan's early work from 1938 to 1953, including his iconic Ned Kelly series.
The Art Gallery of NSW is displaying Nolan: Origins, an exhibition exploring Australian artist Sidney Nolan's formative decades. It features his renowned Ned Kelly series and early paintings spanning from the late 1930s until his move to the United Kingdom in 1953.
The exhibition includes filmed interviews where Nolan discusses his work and Australia in his characteristic voice, but he was often coyly evasive about the deeper meanings of his paintings. In interviews, he would hint at personal experiences behind his art, then deliberately move on without explaining.
His biographer describes him as a trickster who was strategic in his revelations. The works themselves, from Pretty Polly Mine to his abstract Tent painting, reveal an intuitive artist responsive to his surroundings rather than always calculating symbolism.
The exhibition runs until February 7, 2027.
- 27
- Ned Kelly paintings
- Nancy Underhill
- Biographer
- late 1930s to 1953
- Career span
- through February 7, 2027
- Exhibition dates
Why it mattersThe exhibition offers insight into one of Australia's most important artists and how creative people communicate about their own work.
AustraliaAustralian art lovers and Sydney residents can now see Nolan's formative works and understand the artistic conversations shaping mid-century Australian painting.
