John Henry Olsen Australia, 1928-2023
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About John Henry Olsen
Born in New South Wales in 1928, John Olsen studied at the Julian Ashton School before undertaking further study in Europe. He returned from Europe in 1960, introducing an expressionistic type of painting into Sydney. Olsen also designs tapestries and in 1972 was commissioned to paint a mural for the Sydney Opera House. The winner of the 2005 Art Gallery of New South Wales Archibald Prize his work is represented in all major state and provincial galleries.
John Olsen is one of the most prolific of the artists listed in our database, with the number of works offered for sale by auction since 1969 of 4,533, of which 3,206 (71%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $1,075,500 for Love in the Kitchen sold by Mossgreen Auctions in October 2006. In addition to this sale, a further one work by this artist has been sold for over $1 million. This year 45 works have been offered for sale. Works by John Olsen are held by the Art Gallery of NSW, National Gallery of Australia and a further ten major public national galleries (see list below).
John Henry Olsen is listed in the following standard biographical references:
- McCulloch, Alan McCulloch, Susan McCulloch, Emily McCulloch-Childs. The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art. 4th Edition, Aus Art Melbourne & The Miegunyah Press, 2006. Page 746
- Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Volumes 1 & 2, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 520
- Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 350
- Australian Prints + Printmaking, a database listing printmaking artists from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region based on the print collection of the National Gallery of Australia.
Artists' Resale Royalty
Could the second and subsequent works by this artist sold after June 9, 2010 for over $1,000 be liable for the Artists' Resale Royalty? More info…
Yes, eligible, subject to the artist satisfying the residency test. The artist is alive or has been deceased for less than 70 years. Contact the Copyright Agency for information on the residency test.
The Australian Art Sales Digest is a database of over 610,000 works by more than 12,000 artists who are listed as having either lived or worked in Australia or New Zealand, and an additional 36,000 foreign and other artists, offered for sale by auction in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1970s to the present day.
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