He is regarded as Australia's greatest living artist - for over 60 years John Olsen has been showing us new ways to look at the country's landscapes - from Hill End to Lake Eyre. At the opening of a retrospective of his paintings, murals, works on paper, ceramics and weavings at the National Gallery of Victoria, John Olsen sat down to talk to Phillip about his long, rich, colourful life.
This episode was first broadcast on September 13, 2016
Image: John Olsen, Phillip Adams, NGV Edge Theatre (Gail Boserio, RN)
‘There are lovers, and there are others – and I don't much care for the other'. – John Olsen
John Olsen is a lover of many things; of people, food, literature, and the natural world. Above all, Olsen is a lover of art and life.
On the occasion of the National Gallery of Victoria's major exhibition John Olsen: The You Beaut Country, hear Olsen speak about his life, work, and passion for capturing the spirit of the Australian landscape in conversation with ABC Radio National broadcaster Phillip Adams.
Born in 1928 in Newcastle, NSW, John Olsen is one of Australia's greatest living artists and a major figure in the story of Australian art. His awards include the Wynne Prize (1969, 1985) and Archibald Prize (finalist 1989; winner 2005). In 1997 Olsen was awarded an Order of the British Empire for services to the arts and in 2001 received an Order of Australia. Olsen's work is held in all Australian state galleries and he is represented in private collections in Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom and the United States. Now at 88 years of age, Olsen is as enthusiastic about his art as he was when he embarked on his first major landscape series at the beginning of the 1960s; his creative vitality evident in the NGV exhibition John Olsen: The You Beaut Country.
Phillip Adams is presenter of ABC RN's Late Night Live. He has interviewed some of the world's most influential politicians, historians, archaeologists, novelists, theologians, economists, philosophers and conversationalists.
The NGV acknowledges the support of Major Partner, Deakin University for this program
