Iconic Australian painter Ken Done returns to Rockhampton with new exhibition
Maverick painter and certified Aussie icon Ken Done returns to Rockhampton in March with a new exhibition Poems from Home and Other Paintings.
Featuring both recent and early pieces, the exhibition will be one of the biggest selections of Done' s work seen in regional Australia, capturing the sights and sounds of some of the artist's most beloved locales in sumptuous paint.
Done is no stranger to Rockhampton. His exhibition Ken Done: The Reef was a crowd pleaser at Rockhampton Art Gallery in 2016. Done also donated his painting Hot pink reef, 2003 to the permanent collection at the time.
Rockhampton Regional Council Communities, Culture and Heritage spokesperson Cr Drew Wickerson said:
"I am really looking forward to this exhibition. Like many Australians I was very taken by his artwork, with the bold colours and the light-hearted depictions of Australian scenes. This is certainly an exhibition that the whole family will enjoy.
"The exhibition will feature new and early pieces, especially selected to suit the expanse of RMOA's Gallery One.
"This is a great example of the sorts of exhibitions that RMOA was designed to show. Gallery One is the biggest gallery in RMOA and artworks in this exhibition have been specifically selected to take full advantage of the size of Gallery One," he said.
Ken Done said: "I'm thrilled to be coming back to Rockhampton and it's a pleasure to be able to show not only some classic paintings, but also the new poetry work that I have recently created."
Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, Ken Done has become one of Australia's most famous artists. His work has been described as the most original style to come out of Australia, and his paintings are in collections throughout the world.
A veteran of over 100 one-man shows, Done has held major exhibitions in Australia, Europe, Japan and the USA. His works have been shown in the Archibald, Sulman, Wynne, Blake, and Dobell Prizes.
Ken's paintings became the creative source of a unique, and highly successful Australian business which continues to promote Australian art and design to a world-wide audience.
Poems from Home and Other Paintings is curated in partnership with The Ken Done Gallery.
The exhibition will be on show at Rockhampton Museum of Art from 22 March to 22 June 2025.
Opening: Friday 21 March, 6-8pm. Ticketed event ($25 RMOA Member, $30 non member, prior bookings required via RMOA website).
Artist talk: Saturday 22 March, 10 – 11am (Free, prior bookings required via RMOA website).
RMOA is owned and operated by Rockhampton Regional Council.
