Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley AC
Margaret Olley in August 2009
Birth name	Margaret Hannah Olley
Born	24 June 1923(1923-06-24) Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
Died	26 July 2011(2011-07-26) (aged 88) Paddington, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Field	Painting
Training	East Sydney Technical College
Awards	Mosman Art Prize (1947)

Margaret Hannah Olley AC (24 June 1923 – 26 July 2011) was an Australian painter. She was the subject of more than 90 solo exhibitions.

Margaret Olley was born in Lismore, New South Wales. She attended Somerville House in Brisbane during her high school years. She was so focused on art that she dropped one French class in order to take another art lesson.

Her work concentrated on still life. In 1997 a major retrospective of her work was organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She received the inaugural Mosman Art Prize in 1947.

On 13 July 2006 she donated more works to the Art Gallery of New South Wales; her donations included more than 130 works worth $7 million.^[1]

Olley died at her home in Paddington in July 2011, aged 88.^[2] She never married and had no children.

Tributes and Honours

Olley was twice the subject of an Archibald Prize winning painting; the first by William Dobell in 1948 and the other by Ben Quilty in 2011.^[3] She was also the subject of paintings by many of her artist friends, including Russell Drysdale.^[4]

On 10 June 1991, in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, Olley was made a Member of the Order of Australia 'for service as an artist and to the promotion of art'. On 12 June 2006, she was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour, the Companion of the Order, 'for service as one of Australia's most distinguished artists, for support and philanthropy to the visual and performing arts, and for encouragement of young and emerging artists'.

In 2006, Olley was awarded the degree Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa by the University of Newcastle.^[5]

References

1. ^ Kruger, P. 13 July 2006. Margaret Olley donates important collection to Art Gallery of NSW, ABC News
2. ^ Artist Margaret Olley dead, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 26 July 2011.
3. ^ Westwood, Matthew (16 April 2011), "Margaret Olley leaves her hat on for Ben Quilty's win", The Australian, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/margaret-olley-leaves-her-hat-on-for-ben-quiltys-win/story-e6frg6nf-1226039943734, retrieved 16 April 2011 
4. ^ Artist Margaret Olley dead, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 July 2011.
5. ^ 2006. Honorary degrees, The University of Newcastle, Australia

External links

• Phillip Bacon Galleries, Margaret Olley: Biographical notes
• Margaret Olley: Biography
• Margaret Olley Australian Government Cultural and Recreational Portal (Retrieved 23-July-2007)
• Tyranny of the tape recorder by Brenda Niall ABR of Margaret Olley: Far from a Still Life by Meg Stewart
• Margaret Olley & Donald Friend, 21 January – 19 March 2006 S H Ervin Gallery (Retrieved 23-July-2007)
• Margaret Olley review by Grafico Topico's Sue Smith
• Obituary of Margaret Olley, The Daily Telegraph, 31 July, 2011
• Design and Art Australia Online Biographical Record

Persondata
Name	Olley, Margaret
Alternative names	Olley, Margaret Hannah (full name)
Short description	Australian painter
Date of birth	24 June 1923
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
Date of death	July 2011
Place of death	Paddington, New South Wales, Australia