A state memorial has been held for one of Australia’s best-known and most celebrated landscape painters, John Olsen.
The Officer of the Order of Australia and Order of the British Empire died from a stroke on Easter Saturday, April 11, at the age of 95.
The service at the Art Gallery of NSW on Monday morning was attended by dignitaries including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Premier Chris Minns, NSW senator Andrew Bragg, Nationals MP Kevin Anderson and Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel.
They were joined by friends and family of the artist, as well as those from the art community – including Wendy Whiteley, Ken Done, and Ben Quilty – and members of the public, who were allowed to attend.
Michael Yabsley carried out master of ceremonies duties, lamenting how Olsen and the late Barry Humphries had died about the same time and were therefore unable to eulogise each other.
“These two cultural giants, both friends, both thespians, one from the visual arts, the other from performing arts,” said Mr Yabsley, turning the service over to Olsen’s daughter Louise.
“John was an artist. He was a writer, a teacher, but to us he was dad,” she told those gathered.
“Cooking was always at the heart of the family, a task dad relished. When times were lean, it was cheese, olives and bread. When dad sold a painting, it was champagne and paella.”
Olsen’s other child, Tim, gave an equally emotional tribute to his late father.
“A man or a woman can be measured by their life, but a memorial can be an indication of a life well lived,” he said.
“He used every moment of his life to observe it.
“He didn’t care about the big money that could be made, he cared about his country and about showing us all how to love it.”
The Prime Minister also said a few words, promoting the “yes” vote in the upcoming Voice to parliament referendum before launching into his eulogy.
Mr Albanese praised Olsen’s ability “to behold this landscape in all its familiarity and all its antiquity”.
“John and his mind’s eye explored from the air … he lifted himself even higher and delved even deeper,” Mr Albanese said.
“All of this just kept feeding John’s inner richness … by the time he was done that one blank canvas burst with life and emotion.
“And in those periods when the light grew dimmer, he still went searching for that spark.”
Performances were also given by William Barton, Jim Moginie and Bertie Blackman, Amy Skinner, and the Sydney Art Quartet.
Olsen was awarded the Wynne Prize, the Sir John Sulman Prize, and the 2005 Archibald Prize.
He also received an honorary doctorate of letters from both the University of NSW and the University of Newcastle.
The Olsen family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the National Art School.