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Collection

An image of Five bells by John Olsen

John Olsen

(Australia, England, Spain, Portugal 21 Jan 1928– )

Title
Five bells
Year
1963
Media category
Painting
Materials used
oil on hardboard
Dimensions

264.5 x 274.0cm board

Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r.corner, black oil paint "John Olsen '63".
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales 1999
Accession number
133.1999
Copyright
© John Olsen. Licensed by Viscopy, Sydney
Location
Not on display
Further information

Five bells was my first commission to paint in situ to cover a wall … I didn’t hesitate. I brushed a line around the core theme, the seed-burst, the life-burst, the sea-harbour, the source of life. Inside and around this core, I painted images drawn from metaphors and similes in [Kenneth] Slessor’s poem of our harbour city, and from my own emotional and physical involvement with the harbour, and with my young family in Watsons Bay …

I wanted to show the Harbour as a movement, a sea suck, and the sound of the water as though I am part of the sea ... The painting says directly what I wanted to say: ‘I am in the sea-harbour, and the sea-harbour is in me’.

John Olsen, 1999

Bibliography (28)

Debra Aldred, Courier Mail 07 Aug 1999, 'Runaway record', Queensland, 07 Aug 1999, (illus.).

Prue Allen, Look Oct 1999, 'Message from the President of the Art Gallery Society', pg. 6, South Yarra, Oct 1999, 6.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales Annual Report 2000 2000, 'Year in review', pg. 8-20, Domain, 2000, 8, 19 (colour illus.).

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Filmworker), Not a job for the boys 1973, Sydney, 1973, (illus.).

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Arts show report Jul 1999, Sydney, Jul 1999, (illus.).

Edmund Capon, Art Gallery of New South Wales: highlights from the collection, Sydney, 2008, 104-105 (colour illus.).

Peter Cochrane, The Sydney Morning Herald 05 Aug 1999, 'Olsen felt 'rush of blood' ', Sydney, 05 Aug 1999.

Dick Collingridge (Filmworker), John Olsen and Five Bells 1963 - 1999 Jul 1999, Canberra, Jul 1999.

Anabel Dean, The Bulletin with Newsweek 13 Jul 1999, 'Water of life', Sydney, 13 Jul 1999, 116 (illlus.).

Elizabeth Foretscue, Daily telegraph 22 Jul 2000, 'Master strokes', pg. 124, Surry Hills, 22 Jul 2000, 124. Review of the 'Australian Icons' exhibition.

Benjamin Genocchio, Art and Australia (Vol. 38, No. 3) Mar 2001-May 2001, 'Critic's choice: John Olsen Five Bells', pg. 392-393, St Leonards, Mar 2001-May 2001, 392, 393 (colour illus.).

Benjamin Genocchio, The Weekend Australian 09 Sep 2000-10 Sep 2000, 'Harbouring various delights', pg. 23, Surry Hills, 09 Sep 2000-10 Sep 2000, 23 (colour illus.). Review of 'Australian Icons' exhibition.

Goodmans Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers (Australia) (Compilator), Australian and European Paintings 3rd August 1999: Goodmans- Fine Art Auctioners and Valuers, Double Bay, Aug 1999, cover (colour illus.), colour illus.. no pagination, lot. no. 95

Deborah Hart, John Olsen, ''Salute to five bells' the Sydney Opera House Mural', pg. 111 - 122., East Roseville, 1991, 78 (colour illus.), 79, 113, 114. cat.no. 48

Melissa Hayer, Sunday telegraph 11 Jul 1999, 'Sensitive guys at art', Sydney, 11 Jul 1999, 201 (illus.).

Ben Holgate, The Australian 06 Jul 1999, 'A tale of five bells: Olsen's seminal harbour scene comes into view', Surry Hills, 06 Jul 1999, 5 (illus.).

Terry Ingram., The Australian financial review 05 Aug 1999, 'Randwick prices hint at bolting market', Sydney, 05 Aug 1999.

Terry Ingram, Art and Australia (Vol. 37, No. 2) Dec 1999-Feb 2000, 'Art market: Sales of the century', pg.270-275, North Ryde, Dec 1999-Feb 2000, 275 (colour illus.).

Paul McGeough (Editor), The Sydney Morning Herald 09 Aug 1999, Sydney, 09 Aug 1999.

Sandra McGrath, Sydney Harbour Paintings from 1794, Milton, 1979, 86 (colour illus.). cat.no. 77 This publication refered to this work as "Five bells No. 1".

Steve Meacham, The Sydney Morning Herald 28 Jan 2012-29 Jan 2012, 'Sparkle and shade', pg. 10-11, Sydney, 28 Jan 2012-29 Jan 2012, 10.

Steve Meacham, The Sydney Morning Herald 13 Oct 2004, 'Paintings that find works for the land', pg. 15, Sydney, 13 Oct 2004, 15 (colour illus.).

Barry Pearce, Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Introduction', pg. 10-16, Domain, 2000, 12 (colour illus.), 16, 301.

Barry Pearce, Look: 1953-2003 celebrating 50 years May 2003, 'Presenting our own artists: how the AGS put balance into the Australian collection', pg. 42-44, Newtown, May 2003, 44.

Barry Pearce, The Weekend Australian 12 Aug 2000-13 Aug 2000, 'Time makes its judgment', pg. 2-3, Surry Hills, 12 Aug 2000-13 Aug 2000, 3 (colour illus.). This colour supplement is a 'Review Special' published for the 'Weekend Australian'. It consists of a four-page, colour wrap-around for the 'Weekend Australian Review'. 'The Australian' was the media sponsor for the AGNSW Exhibition 'Australian Icons', for the Olympic Arts Festival 2000.

Judith White (Editor), Look Nov 1999, 'Five bells', South Yarra, Nov 1999, 7, 20- 21 (colour illus.).

Judith White, Look Dec 1999-Jan 2000, 'A year of gifts to the Gallery', pg. 16, South Yarra, Dec 1999-Jan 2000, 16 (colour illus.).

Editor Unknown (Editor), Australian artist Aug 2000, 'Australian Icons at the Art Gallery of New South Wales', pg, 4-5, Chatswood, Aug 2000, 5 (colour illus.).

Exhibition history (2)

Sydney Harbour 1794-1979, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, 03 Aug 1979–26 Aug 1979

Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000