Bernard Ollis
“I want to step beyond the conventional viewpoint because this for me is dull and obvious and I want to excite and challenge the viewer.”
Bernard Ollis OAM is a celebrated British-Australian painter renowned for his vibrant and whimsical compositions, which blend expressionist, realist and surrealist traditions. His richly layered works explore imagined and real environments, from the streets of Paris to exotic locales such as Cairo and Marrakesh, crafted with candy-bright colours, playful distortions and dreamlike perspectives.
Having studied at Cardiff School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London under mentors including David Hockney and Sir Peter Blake, Ollis migrated to Australia in 1976. There, he quickly became a key figure in art and arts education. As Director of the National Art School in Sydney from 1997 to 2008, he left a lasting legacy in Australian visual culture.
Having held over 80 solo exhibitions worldwide, with works held in major collections such as the National Gallery of Australia and the Royal College of Art, Ollis was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2023 in recognition of his contribution to the arts. Currently dividing his time between Sydney and Paris, he continues to create immersive visual worlds that blur the line between fantasy and reality.
Works by the artist
