Design and Art Australia Online

Plowright, Terrence, b. 1949

Terrance Plowright, born in Sydney in 1949, is a sculptor and designer. He has been commissioned by various public, corporate and ecclesiastical sources to create ...

Updated Sept. 20, 2021

Fish, Donald, b. 1929

Fish produced poster designs, logotypes, packaging, TV commercials and illustrations for major clients around the world, including Cadbury's, British Airways, Qantas and TIME Magazine. Founder ...

Updated Sept. 17, 2021

Olley, Margaret, b. 1923

After her first Australian solo painting exhibitions, Olley worked and exhibited in France in the 1950s. An endearing personality, Olley had many travelling and working ...

Updated Dec. 19, 2020

O'Connell, Michael, b. 1898

O'Connell was a Melbourne designer of hand-printed textiles. He later became associated with Cynthia Reed and Frederick Ward in interior design.

Updated May 2, 2020

Curtis, Robert Emerson, b. 1898

Mid 20th century illustrator and artist. In 1922 Curtis travelled to the USA with his great friend, the pioneer filmmaker, Charles Chauvel. There he developed ...

Updated Dec. 13, 2019

Albury, Winn, b. 1896

Twentieth century female watercolourist who worked as a commercial in Sydney and Sacremento, California. Work found amongst her estate included a number of designs for ...

Updated Dec. 13, 2019

Sellheim, Gert Hugo Emmanuel, b. 1901

Sellheim was a graphic artist and industrial designer. He won the Sulman Prize in 1939 and was one of the first poster artists to work ...

Updated Nov. 26, 2019

Merfield, Bertha Elizabeth, b. 1869

Known for her mural paintings in Victoria, Bertha E. Merfield was a pioneer of landscape painting among female artists in Australia. Her mural for the ...

Updated Nov. 17, 2019

Cassab, Judy, b. 1920

Painter born in Austria. Resident of Sydney she is a prolific and accomplished artist, able to paint portraits in a single sitting if necessary. Cassab ...

Updated Sept. 30, 2019

Pinder, Phil, b. 1945

Pinder was an artist working across a wide range of media including murals and interior design (the Last Laugh theatre, Melbourne). A poster "April Fools ...

Updated Aug. 16, 2019

Smith, Eric, b. 1919

Smith began his painting career with training in Melbourne and was active in Sydney art circles. He is a frequent entrant to the Art Gallery ...

Updated May 6, 2019

Melocco, Pietro, b. 1883

Pietro and one of his brothers (Antonio) were the principals of Melocco Brothers, Sydney. Pietro trained as a mason's apprentice and later at the Cooper ...

Updated May 5, 2019

Gapp, Vanoo, b. 1917

Illustrator and mural artist active in Sydney, Adelaide and North Queensland in the 1930s and 1940s

Updated March 9, 2019

Lewis & Skinner

Lewis & Skinner were a Melbourne-based sign writing firm active in the early decades of the 20th century until ca.1960.

Updated Dec. 22, 2018

Morrison, Alistair, b. 1911

Morrison was a typographer, graphic designer, industrial designer and author. He had a celebrated design career in London from 1936-1939, returning to Australia before the ...

Updated Dec. 1, 2018

Snow, Bill, b. 1938

Snow was one of the founders of BUGA UP, a loosely affiliated group of activists opposed to tobacco smoking & advertising. The group began ca.1979 ...

Updated March 20, 2018

Milat, Nado

Milat executed a mural for the Hacienda Espresso Bar. Hunter Street, Sydney with interiors designed by Silvano Mariti in 1957. As an architect, he worked ...

Updated Nov. 18, 2017

Hawkins, Weaver, b. 1893

One of the great advocates for contemporary art in New South Wales. After he was left on the Western Front in World War I, he ...

Updated Aug. 10, 2017

Kelly, Orry George, b. 1897

Kelly was a fashion designer born into a tailor's family. He was active in theatre in Australia, moving to NYC where he worked as a ...

Updated July 21, 2017

Carter, Norman St Clair, b. 1875

Norman St Clair Carter was a portrait painter, stained-glass artist, muralist and teacher who trained in Melbourne before relocating permanently to Sydney in 1903.

Updated July 18, 2017

Andrews, Gordon Arthur, b. 1914

Gordon Andrews was one of Australia's prominent mid-20th century multi-disciplinary designers. While best known for designing Australia's first decimal currency notes (1966), his international career ...

Updated July 8, 2017

Lewers, Margo, b. 1908

Margo Lewers was primarily a painter and an admirer of the Bauhaus movement which she experienced during travels in Germany in 1934. She was initially ...

Updated June 16, 2017

Elliott, Margaret, b. 1934

Elliott is described as the designer of a "spectacular ceramic mural" for the "Club Bar" at the Chevron Hotel, Potts Point ca.1960 and her age ...

Updated June 11, 2017