Diver, 1945

SIDNEY NOLAN, OM, AC, KB, RA

Of Irish origin, Sidney Nolan was born in Melbourne, Australia on 22 April 1917. During his lifetime, he became recognised as one of the foremost international modern artists.

In his youth during the 1940s, Nolan painted his famous series of paintings inspired by the life of the outlaw Ned Kelly. At this time, he was one of a group of painters in Australia who became known as the Angry Penguins. Before setting out for England, he travelled throughout Australia, working on several remarkable sequences of paintings, the most notable of which depicts the landscape of the interior.

Nolan’s passion for travel took him beyond Europe to Africa, China and Antarctica. However, Nolan’s affection for Australia and sense of his Australian nationality was strong, and he was drawn to return for at least a few months every year.

Nolan’s work is widely represented in the state galleries of Australia and regional art galleries in the UK, as well as at the Tate Gallery in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Pittsburgh Museum of Art and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The Australian government honoured Nolan with a gallery in Canberra, which bears his name and to which he donated paintings now displayed as a permanent exhibition.

Sidney Nolan was knighted in 1981 and awarded the Order of Merit in 1983. He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, elected an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a member of The Royal Academy of Arts. He died in London on 28 November 1992.

The Sidney Nolan Trust was established at The Rodd near Presteigne in 1985, fulfilling Sidney Nolan’s long-held plans to create a place in a rural setting for his own paintings and for music; plans that had been inspired by his visits to his friend Benjamin Britten’s foundation at The Maltings in Suffolk. Nolan purchased Rodd Farm, the land surrounding The Rodd, in order to preserve the setting for his Trust and to enable the Trust to care for a precious piece of land for which he had developed a passion and great respect.

The Trustees of the Sidney Nolan Trust are determined that, while striving to encourage artistic endeavour of the very highest international standard at The Rodd, they continue to reflect Sidney Nolan’s vision for this ancient place, his wide-ranging passion for all aspects of creative artistic activity and his enduring concern and care for the natural environment. They hope that these guiding principles will serve to inspire all who visit The Rodd, no matter their background, culture or age.

Visit www.sidneynolantrust.org