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image of person or book cover 2175589933195622953.jpg
Cover image courtesy of publisher.
y separately published work icon Son of the Brush : A Memoir single work   autobiography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2020... 2020 Son of the Brush : A Memoir
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Tim Olsen is the son of arguably Australia's most famous living painter, John Olsen. Son of the Brush is his fascinating, candid memoir of what it was like to grow up in the shadow of artistic genius, with all its wonder, excitement and bitter disappointments.

'Tim's childhood was dominated by his father's work, travelling to Europe and to communities around Australia as John sought inspiration and artistic fellowship. Wine, food, conversation and the emerging sexual freedom of the 1960s wove a pattern of life for the family. It was both the best and worst of childhoods, filled with vibrancy and stimulation, yet fraught with anxiety and eventual sadness as John separated from Tim's mother and moved away from the family.

'Yet the course of Tim's life had been set by the experiences of his childhood, and by the passion for art he got from both his father and his mother (an acclaimed painter in her own right). He has made his life about art as well, though following a different path from his parents. Today Tim is one of Australia's most respected art dealers, with a knowledge of art and artists forged from what is literally a lifetime of close experience. Son of the Brush is a memoir about living in the shadow of your father, and what it takes to chart your own course in life, but it is also about the wider world of art, artists and the joy, excitement and sacrifices of the creative life.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2020 .
      image of person or book cover 2175589933195622953.jpg
      Cover image courtesy of publisher.
      Extent: 496p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 3rd November 2020
      ISBN: 9781743318058

Other Formats

  • Dyslexic edition.
  • Large print.
  • Sound recording.

Works about this Work

Swashbuckler and Son : Tim Olsen’s Matey, Meaty Memoir Ian Britain , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January–February no. 428 2021; (p. 34)

— Review of Son of the Brush : A Memoir Tim Olsen , 2020 single work autobiography
Creative Force Ashleigh Wilson , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 5 December 2020; (p. 14)

— Review of Son of the Brush : A Memoir Tim Olsen , 2020 single work autobiography
Creative Force Ashleigh Wilson , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 5 December 2020; (p. 14)

— Review of Son of the Brush : A Memoir Tim Olsen , 2020 single work autobiography
Swashbuckler and Son : Tim Olsen’s Matey, Meaty Memoir Ian Britain , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January–February no. 428 2021; (p. 34)

— Review of Son of the Brush : A Memoir Tim Olsen , 2020 single work autobiography
Last amended 25 Nov 2021 12:55:44
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