'Sense of unease': art show explores nation's dark past
The new show at Art Gallery of NSW reunites the full Sidney Nolan Ned Kelly series – all 27 paintings – for the first time since they were split between Canberra and the gallery 60 years ago.
Nolan, born in 1917, is one of Australia’s most influential modernists, best known for his stark depictions of the bushranger myth. The bulk of the series normally resides in the Australian National Gallery, with a single canvas held by the NSW gallery.
Beyond the infamous gang, the exhibition presents a range of Nolan’s lesser‑known works: sweeping views of K'gari (Fraser Island), intimate scenes from his time at the Heide Museum of Modern Art, and vivid accounts of his journeys through the Kimberley with his wife Cynthia and the Reed family.
Curator Denise Mimmocchi says the diverse pieces share a common thread – an interrogation of Australia’s colonial past that evokes a "sense of unease" and raises questions about national identity that remain unsettled for many white Australians.
Titled Nolan: Origins, the exhibition runs from 3 October to 7 February.