John Olsen (b.1928)

John Olsen is one of Australia's most significant and accomplished artists and is recognised for this both nationally and internationally for his energetic and distinctive art.

Olsen's name is widely associated with his exuberant and colloquial You Beaut Country series which firmly established his reputation in the early 1960s. He is also famous for his interpretation of Sydney harbour in his commission for the Sydney Opera House called The Salute to Five Bells undertaken in the 1970s.

Plants, birds and animals began to feature in his works during the 1970s and 80s when he travelled extensively across the country, giving new insights into Australia's regional and desert landscapes though he has always sought to capture a spiritual and universal dimension to the landscape and the natural world in his work.

An art gallery for John Olsen with walls and openings acting as "Frames" of his paintings. The gallery is designed with a concept of "The City inside a City". As John Olsen is famous with his large scale landscape, birds and tree drawings, gardens at the front and the back are designed to separate the gallery space and the streets. John Olsen's famous paintings "The Five Bells" is located in front of the apartment and "The Salute to Five Bells" will be located on the wall inside the courtyard area.