Margaret Olley: Shapes of Stillness

This exhibition explores the art practice of beloved Australian painter Margaret Olley AC (1923–2011). Margaret Olley: Shapes of Stillness offers a unique opportunity to consider Olley’s still lifes alongside Natura morta [Still life] 1956 by Italian painter and printmaker Giorgio Morandi (1890–1964), an artist she greatly admired.  

 Shapes of Stillness is a reminder that Margaret Olley’s constructed worlds typically evolved from lived-in spaces, gathered utilitarian vessels, decorative objects, fruit, flora, house-hold furniture.  Through the generous and sensitively rendered works that deftly evoke a profound sense of reverence and stillness, this exhibition invites consideration of Morandi’s enduring influence on the still life tradition while recognising Olley’s brilliance in depicting objects of desire in a modern world.