A new exhibition by one of Australia’s most recognisable artists, Ken Done AM, titled Up to 80, has opened at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre and will be on display until Sunday 28 November 2021.
“We are delighted to host this exhibition of beautiful work by iconic and well-loved Australian artist Ken Done,” said Gallery Director Susi Muddiman OAM.
“This exhibition will represent many of the artist’s favourite and best-loved subjects, and I am certain the colourful and fun works will bring joy to our visitors – something we all need a bit of right now.”
Known for his vibrant and colourful depictions of iconic Australian scenes from Sydney Harbour and sun-drenched beaches to tropical coral reefs and the Outback, Done captures the essence of how it feels to be Australian.
The exhibition will bring together a vivid collection of works completed by Done from the last two decades. “My paintings are quite unashamedly a response to the great joy of living in Australia,” said Done.
Done held his first exhibition at the age of 40, and since then, he has held more than 100 solo shows, including major exhibitions in Australia, Europe, Japan and the USA. His works have been displayed in the Archibald, Sulman, Wynne, Blake, and Dobell Prizes.
The exhibition represents many of the artist’s favourite and best-loved subjects – the beach, the reef and portraiture, as well as his own personal environment – his garden and cabin studio in Sydney. A selection of works from the new publication Ken Done: Art Design Life will also be shown.
Now at the age of 81, he continues to work with the same passion and vigour, working from his idyllic harbourside studio “the cabin” at Chinamans Beach in Sydney. With no plans to retire, Done will wield his brushes and oil crayons until he “falls off the twig”.
“If you were to ask Ken how long it takes him to complete a painting, he will tell you roughly 80 years,” said Amber Creswell Bell, author of Ken Done: Art Design Life.
“He’ll also tell you that at age 81 he’s a much better painter than he was at 40, and we should probably wait to see how good he is at 90.”
Ken Done: Up to 80
Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, 2 Mistral Road, Murwillumbah South (NSW)
Exhibition continues to 28 November 2021
Free entry
For more information, visit: www.artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au for details.
Image: Ken Done – photo by Stuart Spence