‘The Prodigal Son and More’ An Exhibition of Works by Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd and Jamie Boyd

Arthur Boyd (1920-1999) and Sidney Nolan (1917–1992) were amongst Australia’s most influential artists of the twentieth-century. Jamie Boyd (1948), son of Arthur, is the most important living artist of the remarkable Boyd dynasty.  We are delighted to present an exciting collection of works by these key figures. Artworks have all been pre-selected for exhibition by Jamie Boyd. All are originals, signed by the artists and available for purchase.

Boyd and Nolan, along with a group of other prominent artists were central to the introduction of modernism to Australian art. Boyd’s work displays a lyrical, allegorical and emotional sensibility. He draws on mythology and symbolism to create his distinctive artistic vision. His works can be expressive of the darker reaches of the human condition. This exhibition includes etchings which revisit the ‘The Prodigal Son’ series (1946–1947), which were created for murals now in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

Among Arthur Boyd’s most recognised works are the landscapes of the Shoalhaven River in New South Wales, from his years at Bundanon.  These are represented here, alongside landscapes from time spent at the Boyd’s Tuscan farmhouse, Il Parateio, in the village of Palaia, Tuscany.

The innovative, surreal and often consciously awkward works of Sidney Nolan explore themes of human struggle and loss, as in his well-known Ned Kelly series. In memory of his brother Raymond, a soldier who died during WWII, Nolan set out to explore another national myth, creating his Gallipoli series of drawings and paintings.  These included apparently crude sketches of heads of soldiers, which movingly accentuate not their heroism but their ordinary suffering humanity. This exhibition includes examples of these works.

Jamie Boyd’s work has been exhibited at Gallery on Sturt in previous years, and we are pleased to be able to offer his work once again. Jamie is acknowledged as a master colorist. His work is acquiescent, tender and soothing; it often displays a dream-like quality. He is accomplished across a wide variety of mediums, and his work is held in major national and international collections.