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'Margaret Olley's life began in the tropics of north Queensland on a cane and dairy farm. But her family was soon on the move, first to the Tweed in New South Wales, then to Brisbane. During her last years at school, Margaret's artistic talent became apparent and she was encouraged to apply to study art formally.
So, in Sydney in the early 1940s, her life-long love affair with painting began. Here, too, she met artists such as Russell Drysdale, Donald Friend, David Strachan and William Dobell, with whom she would form enduring friendships. In 1948 William Dobell asked if she would sit for him and the resulting portrait won the Archibald Prize, just as she was setting off overseas. Bohemian adventures in Europe followed.
Margaret travelled - sketch book in hand - in England, France, Italy and Spain, and lived on a vineyard in Cassis in the south of France. But in 1953 she returned to Australia struggling with her drinking and was forced to choose to dry out or dry up creatively. Once she'd made her decision, her return to life and painting was joyous.
Nowadays, despite a recent bout of profound depression, when not only did she want to give up painting but also living, she still produces magnificent art, donates to our galleries and entertains in her notoriously cluttered Paddington terrace in Sydney.
This is a rich and comprehensive look at eighty-odd years of Margaret Olley - at her lovers and friends, and, of course, her painting. It is glorious proof that indeed her life has been far from still. (Publisher's blurb)
Notes
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Epigraph: 'God gave Olley an extra battery' (Justin O'Brien)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also braille, sound recording.
Works about this Work
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Non Fiction
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 10 - 11 March 2012; (p. 23)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography -
On My Bedside Table
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 10 October 2009; (p. 20)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography -
Out from Under the Balcony
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Times Literary Supplement , 1 September no. 5396 2006; (p. 16-17)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography ; Jeffrey Smart 2005 single work biography'One big advantage of having your name attached for long enough to Australia’s unstoppable cultural upsurge is that you eventually get to meet everyone else.
'Last time I looked, I was personally acquainted with at least three of the most illustrious Australian painters of the post-war generation, the gang who put the Australian branch of their art-form on an international level. Admittedly I had met Sidney Nolan and Charles Blackman only once, and Russell Drysdale and Arthur Boyd not at all. But Margaret…' (Introduction)
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Easel Does It
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 24 January vol. 124 no. 6504 2006; (p. 68-69)
— Review of Judy Cassab : A Portrait 2005 single work biography ; Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography -
The Age of Paint
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 31 December 2005; (p. 19)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography ; Jeffrey Smart 2005 single work biography
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Portrait of an Artist
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 22 - 23 October 2005; (p. 5)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography -
The Yin and Yang of an Original Talent
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12-13 November 2005; (p. 24)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography -
A Portrait of the Artist as a Most Unusual Woman
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 19 November 2005; (p. 15)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography -
Tyranny of the Tape Recorder
2005-2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December-January no. 277 2005-2006; (p. 52)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography -
The Age of Paint
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 31 December 2005; (p. 19)
— Review of Margaret Olley : Far from a Still Life 2005 single work biography ; Jeffrey Smart 2005 single work biography -
Good Golly, Miss Olley
2005
single work
biography
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 24 September 2005; (p. 20-26)
Awards
- 2007 shortlisted National Biography Award
- 2006 winner Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian Biography of the Year
- 2006 co-winner 'The Nib': CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature — The Alex Buzo Shortlist Prize One of six winners.
- 2006 shortlisted 'The Nib': CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature
- Queensland,
- New South Wales,
- 1923-2005