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                  JOHN OLSEN
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John Olsen is widely regarded as the most significant living painter of the Australian landscape,
and one of the major Australian artists of 20th century. His career, which has spanned half-a-century,
began at the Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney and continued at the Desiderius Orban School.

Olsen has won numerous prizes including the Archibald Prize 2005, and the Wynne Prize, 1969, 1985;
honours include an OBE, and AO. Olsen’s work is represented in the National Gallery, Canberra;
the Mertz Collection, USA; each of the state galleries in Australia; and in private and institutional
collections in Britain, Europe and America.

Biography
Born in Newcastle, 1928.
 
Selected Solo Exhibitions
1955 John Olsen, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
1958 John Olsen, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
1960 Olsen, Galerie Lambert, Paris John Olsen, Terry Clune Galleries, Sydney
1963 An Exhibition of Recent Paintings, Gouaches & Drawings by John Olsen,
John Olsen: Recent Paintings, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1965 John Olsen, Clune Galleries, Sydney
John Olsen, South Yarra Gallery, Melbourne
1967 Entrance to the Castle of Life: John Olsen 66-67, Clune Galleries, Sydney
Entrance to the Castle of Life: John Olsen 66-67, South Yarra Gallery, Melbourne
1969 The Dunmoochin Summer: John Olsen '69, Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney
John Olsen '69- Exhibition of Gouches and Oil Paintings, White Studio, Adelaide
1970 John Olsen, Reid Gallery, Brisbane
1971 John Olsen, Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney
1972 John Olsen, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1973 John Olsen, Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney
1974 John Olsen, Atelier 72 Gallery, Adelaide
1975 John Olsen: Edge of the Void, Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney
John Olsen 74-75: Edge of the Void and Opera House Mural Studies, Australian
Edge of the Void: Paintings, Drawings, Etchings and Lithographs by John Olsen,
Greenhill Galleries, Adelaide
John Olsen: Etchings, Gallery Huntly, Canberra
1976 John Olsen: Recent oil paintings, gouches, drawings and etchings, Ray
The Child in us All, St John's Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane
1977 John Olsen: Recent Paintings, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1978 John Olsen: Paintings and Drawings 77-78, Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney
1979 John Olsen: Earth Hold etchings, Cintra House, Brisbane
1980 John Olsen: Exhibition of Recent Paintings, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
John Olsen: Paintings and Drawings 77-80 Lister Gallery, Festival of Perth, Perth
John Olsen: My Complete Graphics, David Reid Gallery, Sydney
1981 John Olsen: A Sliver of Time, Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney
1982 John Olsen 81-82 and Noela Hjorth, Bortignon's Kalamunda Gallery of Man,
John Olsen, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1983 John Olsen: Selected Graphics, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
John Olsen - The Land Beyond Time, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
1984 John Olsen, Tynte Gallery, Adelaide Festival 1984, Adelaide
1985 John Olsen, Tynte Gallery, Adelaide
1986 Paintings and Drawings by John Olsen from the permanent collection,
John Olsen - In Search of the Open Country 1961-1986, Heide, Melbourne
John Olsen: Gold, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
John Olsen, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1987/8 John Olsen - Encounters with Drawing, Wollongong City Gallery,
1988 John Olsen - Encounters with Drawing, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1989 John Olsen, Greenhill Gallery, Perth
1990 John Olsen, Australian Galleries, Sydney
1991 John Olsen, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1991/2 John Olsen Retrospective, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 1 Nov 1991 - 3
1992 John Olsen Retrospective, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 8 May - 28 June,
1993 John Olsen: Recent Works, Sherman Galleries Goodhope, Sydney
John Olsen: Recent Etchings, Olsen Carr Art Dealers, Sydney
1994 John Olsen: Recent Work 1992-1994, Deutscher Fine Art, Melbourne
1995 John Olsen: Recent Works, Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane
1998 John Olsen: Recent Paintings 1995 - 1998, Olsen Carr Art Dealers, Sydney
'New York Nowhere', recent paintings and works on paper, Olsen Carr Art
2000 John Olsen: Past & Present, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney
2001 Recent works on paper, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney
2002 Seaport of Desire, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney
2003 Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne
2004 John Olsen, Recent Works, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney
2005 John Olsen, Tim Olsen Gallery Annex, Sydney
 
Selected Group Exhibitions
Southern Reflections: Ten Contemporary Artists, an exhibition that toured Northern Europe, 1998-1999
Private Collections, Orange Regional Gallery, 1998
Escape Artists: Modernists in the Tropics, touring regional galleries in Queensland and New South Wales 1998-1999
 
Collections
John Olsen's work is represented in all Australian state gallery collections, the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and regional galleries Australia wide. He is also represented in institutional, corporate and private collections in Australasia, United Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America.
 
Selected Bibliography
Virginia Spate, John Olsen, Georgian House, Melbourne, 1973
John Olsen, Salute to Five Bells: John Olsen's Opera House Journal, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1973
John Olsen, My Complete Graphics, 1957-79, Gryphon Books, Melbourne, 1980
Sandra McGrath and John Olsen, The Artist and the Desert, Bay Books, Sydney and London, 1981
John Olsen: Gold, exhibition catalogue, introduction by Edmund Capon, essay by John Olsen, AGNSW, Sydney, 1986
Deborah Hart, John Olsen, Craftsman House, 1991
John Olsen, Drawn from Life, D&S, Sydney, 1997




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