William Robinson is one of Australia's greatest contemporary painters but is also the master of many other mediums, including printmaking. Now four decades of lithographs and etchings will be displayed alongside his major paintings in a new exhibition starting next week.
The Painter & the Printmaker, at QUT's William Robinson Gallery in Old Government House (5 September 2023 – 15 September 2024) will feature more some of Robinson's rarely seen prints and give valuable insights into his unique creative vision.
Lauded largely as a landscape artist, Robinson is the only living-Australian artist with a public gallery dedicated to his work. He has won the Archibald Prize for portraiture twice (Equestrian self-portrait in 1987 and Self-portrait with stunned mullet in 1995), and the Wynne Prize for landscape in 1990 and 1996.
"As his paintings are so revered – whether the ethereal depictions of the Gold Coast Hinterland and other landscapes, gently humorous self-portraits or the playful works showcasing life on the farm – even his biggest fans don't always realise how much more Bill has to offer as an artist," gallery director and curator, Vanessa Van Ooyen said.
"Over the decades, his practice has included pastels, ceramics, bronze sculptures, watercolours, gouaches and more. As for printmaking, he has long used it as a medium through which to create artwork he has not been able to quite achieve through painting.
"This exhibition provides a rare glimpse into his mastery as a colourist and mark-maker by showcasing such works which will be hung alongside major paintings."
The Painter & the Printmaker is the 17th exhibition to be held at the William Robinson Gallery since it opened in 2009. It follows the artist's most recent exhibition Love in Life & Art which paid moving tribute to his late wife Shirley.
William Robinson Artist Biography:
- William Robinson is a distinguished Australian contemporary artist best known for his landscapes and self-portraits, born in 1936 in Brisbane.
- A QUT alumnus and teacher, he graduated from Brisbane's Central Technical College in 1962, which was an early forerunner of QUT's Gardens Point campus. He had a lengthy career teaching art at several of the University's predecessor institutions.
- Robinson left teaching in 1989 to work full-time on his art.
- Robinson is critically acclaimed for his striking compositions of south-east Queensland rainforests and seascapes of northern New South Wales. His work has changed the way we perceive the local landscape through his distinctive and signature multi-viewpoint perspective.
- Robinson's work has achieved national and international prominence, awarding him prizes that include the Archibald Prize and the Wynne Prize.
- Robinson's work is represented in all major Australian public art museums, as well as in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Vatican Museums, Vatican City; and the British Museum, London.
- In 2007, Robinson was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his outstanding achievement and service to the arts.
Main image: Blue Pools 2000 - William Robinson - colour lithograph, QUT Art Collection, Gift of the Artist under the Cultural Gifts Program, 2002
