Bernard Ollis
Being There

“They are all locations I have stood in, investing much time drawing, photographing, looking and thinking about”

Bernard Ollis is a British-born Australian painter whose career spans more than five decades, marked by an energetic and highly distinctive visual language. 

After studying at the prestigious Royal College of Art in London under influential artists including David Hockney and Peter Blake, Bernard moved to Australia in 1976, where he quickly established himself as both an artist and educator. He later became the longest-serving Director of the National Art School, shaping arts education in Australia for over a decade. 

In 2023, Ollis was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the visual arts and to education, recognising his enduring contribution to Australia’s cultural landscape.

He borrows the title of this exhibition from the 1979 Peter Sellers film Being There - encapsulating the idea of being in the right place at the right time. In an artist’s terms, this means becoming immersed in a unique visual world, where new surroundings spark fresh perspectives.

Each work is a personal interpretation of a special moment in a special place. From a mansion in London to a windswept stretch of the Australian coastline, from a bathroom in Fez to a local weatherboard garden - these works are the opposite of photographic portrayals or picture postcards. Instead, they are reflections of being there, “Ollis style”.