Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley represents a more traditional take on art in Australia. She is arguably one of the best-loved Australian painters who dedicated her life to the seemingly domestic and “womanly” genre of still life. However, in her interpretation this tame genre has acquired new energy as she revealed hidden powers of Australian natural environment.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

Website

• Australian Government 2011, Australian Stories: Margaret Olley, Australian Government, viewed on 21 September 2011, <http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/margaret-olley>.

This resource introduces Margaret Olley as an Australian icon and a part of national legacy. It contains a brief biographical overview, a few reproductions of her work and the links to other resources that might be helpful for those interested in further exploring her art and life. The australia.gov.au is an official website of Australian Government that links to information and services on around 900 Australian Government websites and selected state and territory resources, and searches over four million web pages from Australian, state and territory governments. The section on Margaret Olley is located within The Australian Stories collection that covers key educational themes and cultural activities in Australia. The collection is managed by the Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Video

• Miss Olley [videorecording] 2003, ABC, 27 min.

This video captures an intimate portrait of Margaret Olley, in which her friend of many years, Barry Humphries, discusses her art and life with candour and humour. This resource dwells on the issues of interconnections between the artist’s personal life, her art and her relationships. It provides an alternative view of her art and life that complements written biographies. This resource can be recommended for users who are interested in getting a more private and intimate picture of Margaret Olley’s life and work.

This video is available at RMIT Swanston Library, call number AV 759.09 O46.


PRINTED SOURCES

Monographs

• France, C 2002 [1990], Margaret Olley, Craftsman House, St. Leonards, N.S.W.

This is a generously illustrated and lavishly printed artistic biography of Margaret Olley with 78 colour plates and 6 black and white figures. It covers her life and art from student years to the time of recognition. It also includes a detailed list of the artist’s exhibitions, awards and private collections holding her works. The monograph contains both a general bibliography and the artist bibliography up to 2001. It can be recommended as a starting point for research into the artist’s life and work.

Available at SLV upon request, call number 759.994 OL4F. Items requested from the SLV’s on-site storage usually become available within an hour. Subscription to the library is required to place an order.

• Stewart, M 2005, Far From Still Life: Margaret Olley, Random House Australia, Milsons Point, N.S.W.

This is a lively and readable (albeit very long, 568 pages!) biography of Margaret Olley written by Meg Stewart, and acclaimed writer with great passion for art and artists. This biography, intermitted with passages from many interviews with the artist, tries to unravel the real Margaret, away from the hype of publicity. It provides great insight into the life and work of Margaret Olley and can be recommended to be consulted for scholarly purposes as well as for sheer enjoyment.

This monograph is available on shelf in the Arts section of SLV, call number AO 759.994 OL4S. Free access, no subscription required.