Legendary Australian artist passes away: Celebrating the life and legacy of John Olsen
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The art community is mourning the loss of Australian art icon John Olsen – one of the nation’s most prolific, acclaimed, and celebrated artists known for his distinctive depictions of the Australian landscape.
The 95-year-old passed away on Tuesday surrounded by family, with a career that spanned more than 60 years and exhibitions in galleries across Australia and overseas. He was a winner of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.
John Olsen also dabbled in ceramics, tapestry, and printmaking. However, painting was his favourite creative endeavour.
His six-decade career was spent constantly exploring and expanding the theme of landscapes, often interpreting them in lyrical and optimistic artworks. In some of his paintings, he also ventured into the urban environment, food, and portraiture themes.
Tim Olsen, a gallerist and Mr Olsen’s son, said his father ‘changed the perspective and way that Australians looked at magnificent landscapes’.
‘He was a landscape poet to the end and a titan of the Australian art world,’ he said.
Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1928, Mr Olsen went to school in Sydney and studied art at the Julian Ashton Art School while cleaning offices at night. He also went to Datillo Rubbo Art School and then enrolled in East Sydney Technical College (now known as the National Art School), where he was taught by John Passmore, a renowned Australian philosopher. It was then that he made a name for himself in his studio discipline and explored his love of life.
‘It took a lot of courage to be an artist in those days, and he had no hesitation but to run with it and in art, he found his calling,’ Tim said.
In 1955 he took part in the important exhibition Contemporary Australian paintings: Pacific loan exhibition, and in 1956 showed in the benchmark exhibition of abstract works Direction 1 with John Passmore and Robert Klippel.
Sponsored by art collector Robert Shaw, Mr Olsen moved to Europe and studied printmaking under Stanley William Hayter in Paris. He then lived in an artist colony in Mallorca, where he met the poet and historian Robert Graves.
Mr Graves then told Mr Olsen: ‘You can paint pretty pictures all your life, but without metaphor, you’ve got nothing. Read avidly and embrace poetry.’
‘And for the rest of his life, [he] never ran out of ideas,’ Tim shared.
Ms Olsen then returned to Australia, now inspired to paint nature and the landscapes of his own country. He created the You Beaut Country series and cemented his place among Australia’s artistic visionaries.
Tim shared: ‘When art was taking itself so seriously, he brought in the whimsical. He was one of those artists where people could look at his work and smile.’
In 1971, Mr Olsen was commissioned to paint the mural Salute to Five Bells for the Sydney Opera House. This artwork was inspired by the poem of Australian poet Kenneth Slessor, and it still hangs in the northern foyer of the building today.
Upon seeing this artwork on display recently, Mr Olsen reportedly told his son: ‘When you consider contemporary art today, I was well ahead of my time. The painting has come into its own.’
Olsen received numerous other awards in his long career, including an OBE in 1977.
Mr Olsen also received an Order of Australia in 2001 before revealing that art was a form of compulsion for him – a trait he started developing at age four.
‘Artists are born, not made,’ he shared.
He won the Archibald for Self-portrait Janus Faced in 2005, the Wynne Prize for The Chasing Bird Landscape in 1969 and A Road to Clarendon: Autumn in 1985, and the Sulman Prize for Don Quixote Enters the Inn in 1989.
In 2022, Mr Olsen spoke to the Australian Associated Press (AAP) about his love of rural and remote Australia after depicting its landscapes and capturing wild terrain in most of his paintings. He donated several of his works to a regional NSW gallery.
‘To be an Australian landscape painter is to be an explorer. There is so much to look at and observe about the Australian landscape, how it varies from tropical to the coastal fringe and the interior. It's so multiple. It's a beautiful animal, that landscape,’ he told reporters.
A tribute to his six-decade-long career will be held at the Sydney Opera House next month, in time for the Vivid Festival. The tribute will showcase his works and endearing fascination with Australia.
Later this year, a three-volume set of his diaries and sketchbooks will be published by the National Library of Australia. The Olsen family was also reported to be working on a comprehensive listing of all his known works.
According to his son, Mr Olsen was still working on his art until Saturday afternoon before his health deteriorated. ‘It was almost as if he knew it was coming,’ Tim explained.
Were you lucky enough to see any of John’s art in person? Which is your favourite piece?
The 95-year-old passed away on Tuesday surrounded by family, with a career that spanned more than 60 years and exhibitions in galleries across Australia and overseas. He was a winner of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes.
John Olsen also dabbled in ceramics, tapestry, and printmaking. However, painting was his favourite creative endeavour.
His six-decade career was spent constantly exploring and expanding the theme of landscapes, often interpreting them in lyrical and optimistic artworks. In some of his paintings, he also ventured into the urban environment, food, and portraiture themes.
Tim Olsen, a gallerist and Mr Olsen’s son, said his father ‘changed the perspective and way that Australians looked at magnificent landscapes’.
‘He was a landscape poet to the end and a titan of the Australian art world,’ he said.
Mr Olsen left a colourful legacy through his artworks. Credit: Steve Johnson/Pexels
Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1928, Mr Olsen went to school in Sydney and studied art at the Julian Ashton Art School while cleaning offices at night. He also went to Datillo Rubbo Art School and then enrolled in East Sydney Technical College (now known as the National Art School), where he was taught by John Passmore, a renowned Australian philosopher. It was then that he made a name for himself in his studio discipline and explored his love of life.
‘It took a lot of courage to be an artist in those days, and he had no hesitation but to run with it and in art, he found his calling,’ Tim said.
In 1955 he took part in the important exhibition Contemporary Australian paintings: Pacific loan exhibition, and in 1956 showed in the benchmark exhibition of abstract works Direction 1 with John Passmore and Robert Klippel.
Sponsored by art collector Robert Shaw, Mr Olsen moved to Europe and studied printmaking under Stanley William Hayter in Paris. He then lived in an artist colony in Mallorca, where he met the poet and historian Robert Graves.
Mr Graves then told Mr Olsen: ‘You can paint pretty pictures all your life, but without metaphor, you’ve got nothing. Read avidly and embrace poetry.’
‘And for the rest of his life, [he] never ran out of ideas,’ Tim shared.
Art by John Olsen called Five Bells, painted in 1963. Credit: Art Gallery of NSW
Ms Olsen then returned to Australia, now inspired to paint nature and the landscapes of his own country. He created the You Beaut Country series and cemented his place among Australia’s artistic visionaries.
Tim shared: ‘When art was taking itself so seriously, he brought in the whimsical. He was one of those artists where people could look at his work and smile.’
In 1971, Mr Olsen was commissioned to paint the mural Salute to Five Bells for the Sydney Opera House. This artwork was inspired by the poem of Australian poet Kenneth Slessor, and it still hangs in the northern foyer of the building today.
Upon seeing this artwork on display recently, Mr Olsen reportedly told his son: ‘When you consider contemporary art today, I was well ahead of my time. The painting has come into its own.’
Olsen received numerous other awards in his long career, including an OBE in 1977.
Mr Olsen also received an Order of Australia in 2001 before revealing that art was a form of compulsion for him – a trait he started developing at age four.
‘Artists are born, not made,’ he shared.
He won the Archibald for Self-portrait Janus Faced in 2005, the Wynne Prize for The Chasing Bird Landscape in 1969 and A Road to Clarendon: Autumn in 1985, and the Sulman Prize for Don Quixote Enters the Inn in 1989.
In 2022, Mr Olsen spoke to the Australian Associated Press (AAP) about his love of rural and remote Australia after depicting its landscapes and capturing wild terrain in most of his paintings. He donated several of his works to a regional NSW gallery.
‘To be an Australian landscape painter is to be an explorer. There is so much to look at and observe about the Australian landscape, how it varies from tropical to the coastal fringe and the interior. It's so multiple. It's a beautiful animal, that landscape,’ he told reporters.
A painting included in Mr Olsen’s You Beaut Country series depicting the Australian landscape. Credit: NGV Vic
A tribute to his six-decade-long career will be held at the Sydney Opera House next month, in time for the Vivid Festival. The tribute will showcase his works and endearing fascination with Australia.
Later this year, a three-volume set of his diaries and sketchbooks will be published by the National Library of Australia. The Olsen family was also reported to be working on a comprehensive listing of all his known works.
According to his son, Mr Olsen was still working on his art until Saturday afternoon before his health deteriorated. ‘It was almost as if he knew it was coming,’ Tim explained.
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