Reflections Of Olley: Gallery Up Late

A rare opportunity for Margaret Olley fans is the Gallery Up Late discussion panel, Reflections of Olley, at Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre, on Friday, 9 June.

The late great painter, Margaret Olley, once said that people liked to paint her portrait because she had “a face like a pudding and it’s easy to draw.” Now you can hear personal insights on just that subject from artists Danelle Bergstrom, Nicholas Harding and Adam Knott who all have artwork in the new exhibition, Portraits: Margaret Olley.

Nick Mitzevich, Art Gallery of South Australia Direct, was a close friend of Olley’s and he will host the panel discussion titled Reflections of Olley. The painter was the most painted face in Australian art history, says Ingrid Hedgcock, Margaret Olley Art Centre Curator and Collects Manager. “… many of those artists were either close friends or became closer to her. She had a strong personality and a passionate dedication to the arts, and became a mentor to many young artists.”

You can see some of the best paintings of Olley in Portraits: Margaret Olley right up until the exhibition finishes on 10 September. There are pictures by figures as diverse as William Dobell, Russell Drysdale, Margaret Cilento, Ian Fairweather, Jeffrey Smart… and the list of luminaries goes on. There are also self-portraits, making the complete exhibition a kind of “expressive, painterly photo album of an extraordinary life and individual”, according to Hedgcock.

Need to know -The Gallery Up Late discussion will be on Friday, 9 June, 6.30 – 7pm. Entry is $10 / $7 Friends of the Gallery and students. Bookings are essential by 4 June – 02 6670 2790 (Wed to Sun 10am – 5pm) or BOOK ONLINE HERE

Nice to know - *As part of the event, the Gallery Café will offer a tapas menu from 5pm to 6.30pm and dinner from 7.30pm to 9pm. Dinner bookings are essential – 02 6672 5088.

By Vicki Englund

Tweed Regional Gallery is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com