With a population of approximately 480,000 by 1953 (when Kenneth Jack painted Grey Street Bridge), Brisbane in the 1950s still retained a relaxed pace …

In 1953, Margaret Olley (24 June 1923–2011) returned from travelling abroad to her Brisbane family home ‘Farndon’ in Morry Street, Hill End (now West …

Palms, Anzac Square is a work depicting Brisbane’s Anzac Square looking towards the War Memorial by Betty Quelhurst (17 September 1919-2008). We profile …

Margaret Olley (1923-2011) moved to Brisbane when she was 12 and was a boarder at Somerville House school for girls in South Brisbane from …

Gifts made to the Gallery through a Will have been central to the development of QAGOMA’s Collection. Since 2018, a generous bequest received from …

Margaret Olley (1923-2011) was deeply grateful when in 1962 her close friend, poet and art critic Pam Bell (1928-1995) invited Olley to visit …

Margaret Olley’s friendships with artists are chronicled in their pictures of her, such as William Dobell’s 1948 Archibald Prize–winning painting, works by …

Painting flowers had long been considered a feminine subject. With the examples of Marian Ellis Rowan (1848–1922) and Margaret Preston (1875 1963) behind her …

Ian Fairweather’s cryptically titled painting MO, PB and the ti-tree was first exhibited, though not for sale, at the Macquarie Galleries, Sydney in …

Margaret Olley, towards the end of her life, became one of the most affectionately regarded of Australian artists. Her still life and interior paintings attracted …

In her studio underneath ‘Farndon’, her family home in Brisbane’s Hill End (now West End), Margaret Olley completed a series of paintings of Indigenous …

Renowned Australian artist William Robinson offers his personal reflections on Margaret Olley’s life, art practice, and his fond memories of visiting Olley in her …

Margaret Olley yearned for a dog — in the early 1960s Olley’s beloved pug becomes part of her life, Olley reminisces that: ‘One day somebody …

Christine France offers her personal reflections on Margaret Olley’s life, work and her generous spirit. Margaret was generous in her friendships, extraordinarily generous. Later …

Watch our time-lapse as Ben Quilty draws portraits of Margaret Olley on the wall of the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). These large-scale …

John Honeywill, offers his personal reflections on Margaret Olley’s work and how her spirit has shaped his practice. I met Margaret Olley once. In …

Ben Quilty reflects on his friendship with Margaret Olley, and the lasting influence of her support on his practice. Olley was a generous donor, mentor …

The Hon. Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, Former Governor-General of Australia, offers her personal reflections on Margaret Olley’s work, how Olley’s paintings …

The influence of Margaret Olley AC (1923–2011) on the history of twentieth-century Australian art exceeds even the impressive body of work she produced …

Our major exhibition celebrating the work of leading Australian artist Margaret Olley (1923-2011), ‘Margaret Olley: A Generous Life’ features more than 100 paintings and …