Sidney Nolan

Sidney Nolan was an Australian painter who was known for his precisionist depictions of urban landscapes that are "full of private jokes and playful allusions". He was born and educated in Melbourne where he worked as an art teacher. After departing for Europe in 1948 he studied in Paris at La Grande Chaumière, and later at the Académie Montmartre under Fernand Léger. He returned to Australia in 1951, living in Sydney, and began exhibiting frequently in 1957. In 1963, he moved to Italy. After a successful exhibition in London, he bought a rural property called "Posticcia Nuova" near Arezzo in Tuscany. He resided there with his third wife until his death. His autobiography, Not Quite Straight, was published in 1996. A major retrospective of his works travelled around Australian art galleries in 1999–2000. He won several awards for his paintings, including the Commonwealth Jubilee Art Prize (1951), the Honorary Doctorate (1999), and the Officer of the Order of Australia (2001). He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1981. He is best known for his series of paintings on legends from Australian history, most famously Ned Kelly, the bushranger and outlaw. Nolan's stylised depiction of Kelly's armour has become an icon of Australian art.