Australian artist John Olsen AO OBE was well-known for his landscape paintings.
On January 21, 1928, he was born in Newcastle, and in 1935, his family relocated to Bondi Beach. After graduating from St. Joseph’s College in Hunters Hill in 1943, Olsen started his artistic career.
Olsen developed an early fascination in Sydney Harbour, which he maintained throughout his life. From 1947 to 1950, he attended the Dattilo Rubbo Art School; from 1950 to 1953, the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney; and from 1950 to 1956, the Auburn School. He was given financial support to travel to Europe to paint in 1957 from Sydney industrialist Robert Shaw, his then-wife Annette, and critic Paul Haefliger.
Before traveling to Paris to study printmaking at Stanley William Hayter’s Atelier 17 etching school, Olsen spent time in Cornwall and London in England. After that, he lived in Deià, Spain, for two years, where he studied Elizabeth David’s A Book of Mediterranean Cuisine to learn how to cook. He was influenced at this period by Miró, the CoBrA group, and Taoist artists Antoni Tàpies and Jean Dubuffet. His connection with poet Robert Graves also sparked an interest in Eastern philosophy and poetry for him.
In 1960, Olsen moved back to Sydney and started working as a teacher at the East Sydney Technical College, which is now known as the National Art School. He founded and oversaw the Bakery Art School in 1968, and the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation hired him in 1970 to paint a sizable mural called “Salute to Five Bells,” which was based on a poem by Kenneth Slessor.
Olsen had a strong connection to the Australian terrain, which was evident in his art. He traveled extensively inside the nation while living for extended periods of time in various locations. He was on the boards of the National Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Olsen’s portrayal of author Les Murray earned him the coveted Archibald Prize in 2005.
Olsen had a lifelong love of cooking and eating because Deià had implanted this enthusiasm in him. He had a brief stint as an apprentice cook in Deià and Ibiza. Olsen’s passion for cooking and eating continued to influence his artwork, and he frequently painted landscapes and food at the same time.
When did John Olsen Passed Away
Although the precise reason of his death is unknown, given his advanced age, it is possible that he passed away from old age.
Age of John Olsen
He was 95 years old when he passed away.
Family Olsen, John
Tim, Louise, and Jane Olsen, his children, were left to care for him.
John Olsen’s worth
According to what we’ve learned, his net worth is at least $3 million.
