Margaret Olley
| Margaret Olley AC | |
|---|---|
Margaret Olley in August 2009
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| Born |
Margaret Hannah Olley 24 June 1923 Lismore, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 26 July 2011 (aged 88) Paddington, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | East Sydney Technical College |
| Known for | Painting |
| Notable work | Still life with pink fish |
| Awards | Mosman Art Prize (1947) |
Margaret Hannah Olley AC (24 June 1923 – 26 July 2011) was an Australian painter. She was the subject of more than ninety solo exhibitions.
Margaret Olley was born in Lismore, New South Wales. She was the eldest of three children of Joseph Olley and Grace (née Temperley). She attended Somerville House in Brisbane during her high school years and was so focused on art that she dropped one French class in order to take another art lesson. In 1941, Margaret commenced classes at Brisbane Central Technical College and then moved to Sydney in 1943 to enroll in an Art Diploma course at East Sydney Technical College where she graduated with A-class honours in 1945.
Her work concentrated on still life. In 1997 a major retrospective of her work was organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She received the inaugural Mosman Art Prize in 1947.
On 13 July 2006 she donated more works to the Art Gallery of New South Wales; her donations included more than 130 works worth $7 million.
Olley was twice the subject of an Archibald Prize winning painting; the first by William Dobell in 1948 and the other by Ben Quilty in 2011. She was also the subject of paintings by many of her artist friends, including Russell Drysdale.
On 10 June 1991, in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, Olley was made an Officer of the Order of Australia "for service as an artist and to the promotion of art". On 12 June 2006, she was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour, the Companion of the Order, "for service as one of Australia's most distinguished artists, for support and philanthropy to the visual and performing arts, and for encouragement of young and emerging artists".
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