Major AGNSW show reveals Nolan as far stranger than his Kellys
A major AGNSW exhibition of 150-plus early Nolan works shows him as a restless painter, not just the artist of famous Kelly images.
Sidney Nolan is often remembered for black helmets and armoured outlaws. A new exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW shows he was far more complex.
He grappled with Australian identity, landscape and the human mind. The show covers his early years and includes works on loan from major collectors.
Contemporary artists say his approach opened possibilities for a whole generation. He painted familiar Australian scenes that worked psychologically, not just as descriptions.
His early life was very turbulent. He left school at 14 and worked as a hat-factory illustrator.
He dropped out of art school, stowed away on a ship, and deserted from the army. He went on the run and hid in an inner-Melbourne loft.
Curators describe his paintings as "nebulous landscapes of his own psyche". The work doesn't give everything at once.
- 150+ early works
- Exhibition size
- Age 14
- Left school
- David Walsh, MONA
- Collector
Why it mattersUnderstanding Nolan's full body of work reveals how deeply Australian artists engage with questions of identity and landscape. These questions remain unresolved today.
AustraliaThe exhibition at AGNSW in Sydney offers Australian art lovers a chance to rethink an artist most encountered only through the famous Kelly series.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 4 h ago
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