Margaret Olley: From the heart

The Hon. Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, Former Governor-General of Australia, offers her personal reflections on Margaret Olley’s work, how Olley’s paintings were introduced into her life and why her flower studies are a favourite. Margaret Olley shared her life with us from wherever she made her studio. Her life was a celebration of art,…

Margaret Olley’s generous life

The influence of Margaret Olley AC (1923–2011) on the history of twentieth-century Australian art exceeds even the impressive body of work she produced during her lifetime. Now, as during her long and productive career, Olley remains widely admired for her luminous, life-affirming approach to painting, and the constancy and bravura with which she pursued her…

Margaret Olley: A Generous Life

Our major exhibition celebrating the work of leading Australian artist Margaret Olley (1923-2011), ‘Margaret Olley: A Generous Life’ features more than 100 paintings and drawings highlighting the colourful life, legacy and influence of a much-loved Australian artist. This free exhibition is a celebration of Olley’s extraordinary life as an artist, mentor, muse, passionate collector and…

Margaret Olley paints a room filled with her personality

Australian artist Margaret Olley (1923-2011) worked extensively within the tradition of still life and interior subjects during the second half of the twentieth century, and made them uniquely her own. She established her reputation both locally and nationally with her colourful and vibrant paintings. In 1942 Olley moved from Brisbane to Sydney and enrolled at…