John Olsen Obituary: Landscape painter and renowned Australian artist John Olsen has passed away at the age of 95. On Tuesday night, Olsen passed away at his home near Bowral, NSW, surrounded by his family. He had won the Archibald Prize in 2005 for a self-portrait and had been appointed to the Order of Australia in 2001.
“Our father was a titan of the art world and beloved by many in Australia and overseas but to us he was dad, in all the wonderful humaneness, complexity and humanity that word encapsulates,” Olsen’s children, Louise and Tim Olsen, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Painting was our father’s life, and he was painting right up to the last.”
They claimed their dad was very much looking forward to seeing his artwork projected on the Opera House sails at Vivid Sydney next month, and that they planned to stay at a hotel on the harbour for the event’s opening night.
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“I can watch my work on the Opera House sails in my own private light show in a beautiful hotel room with my family all around me before going to bed and quietly drifting off forever,” Olsen told his children only weeks ago, according to the statement. “What better way to say goodbye?”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted an homage to Olsen, calling him “A giant who never lost the twinkle in his eye.” “A man of talent, charisma, generosity, and humility, he was a poet of the bush, a truly great explorer and interpreter of the Australian landscape.”
John Olsen was a giant who never lost the twinkle in his eye.
A man of talent, charisma, generosity and humility, he was a poet of the brush, a truly great explorer and interpreter of the Australian landscape.
We were so lucky to have him.
May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/UcPEq1TAt1
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 11, 2023
Olsen gained his name with works created during his three years living in Europe after graduating from Sydney’s Julian Ashton Art School, Datillo Rubbo Art School, and East Sydney Technical College. He was born in Newcastle in January 1928.
