Elwyn Lynn 1917-1997
 
metaphor + texture

20 October - 14 November, 2007


 

      

Plot 1072

      
                    

      
 


      
 


      

        

          

            
Elwyn Lynn occupied a remarkable position in Australian art of the second half of the 20thC. 

In 1958, Lynn visited Europe, where the walls and buildings of many major cities still bore the scars 
of the dreadful destruction of the Second World War. He also attended the Venice Biennale, 
where he saw the works of the emerging matter painters, including Antoni Tapies, who were being 
exhibited in the Spanish Pavilion. These experiences exerted an indelible influence on Lynn. He felt 
that it was impossible, now, to create paintings that calmly tinkered with formal arrangements, or 
which confined themselves to beguiling but innocuous subject matter. Lynn turned to unconventional 
painting media and above all to expressive surfaces to construct metaphors for human suffering and 
endurance. Most of his work was essentially abstract, although a sense of the landscape is often 
evoked ­ a landscape disfigured, torn and corrugated by time and geomorphic stresses. 

The later work of Lynn maintained his interest in damaged and shredding surfaces, and his frequent and 
adventurousness use of assemblage elements. These late works were also marked by an expressionist 
vehemence and a daring informality. 

As well as his considerable achievements as a painter, Elwyn Lynn was also of central importance in 
Australian art as a writer, and art critic, President of the Contemporary Art Society (NSW Branch), Chair 
of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council and for fourteen years, and Curator of the Power Gallery 
of Contemporary Art at the University of Sydney. His awards include the Wynne Prize for landscape painting 
in 1988, an Australia Council Emeritus Award in 1994, and a Membership of the Order of Australia in 1975. 
In 1991, the Art Gallery of New South Wales mounted a comprehensive Retrospective Exhibition of his 
work. "Elwyn Lynn: Metaphor and Texture", a major study of his work, was published by Craftsman House 
in 2002. 


Emeritus Professor Peter Pinson
          
        
      


      
 


      
 


      

        

          
Frozen Battle 1995
 
        
      


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      

        

          
 (Untitled) Hautcreme 1978
 
        
      


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      
 


      

        

          
White
            Glacier 1996
 
        
      

Elwyn Lynn 1917 1938-41 0 0 1942-68 1955-69 1963 1963-68 1964-65 1966-73 1966-78 1969 1969-83 1973,75,77 0 1975-81 1975 1976-80 1977 0 1977 1989 1983-95 1993 0 1994 1997 Born Canowindra NSW BA, Dip Ed, Sydney University and Sydney Teachers' College 0 Began Painting in the mid-forties. No formal art training 0 Taught in NSW High Schools, mainly English and History Editor of CAS Broadsheet Art critic, Sunday Mirror President of the Contemporary Art Society of Australia (NSW Branch) Art critic, The Australian Art critic, The Bulletin Associate Editor of Quadrant. Editor from Jan 78 - Aug 1981 Art critic, The Nation Curator of Power Gallery of Contemporary Art, Power Institute of Fine Arts Australian Correspondent, Manifestation Biennale et Internationale des Jeunes Artistes, Paris. Advisor to Ljublijana Pàrint Biennale, Yugoslavia Awarded Membership of the Order of Australia Chairman of the Visual Arts Board Prepared script for ABC film "Sidney Nolan at Sixty", directed by Brian Adams, commentary by Lord (Kenneth) Clark Mid career retrospective exh. 50 works, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Sydney Art critic, The Weekend Australian Elwyn Lynn Conference Room (Selected paintings exh) ,College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales Emeritus Award, Australia Council Died in Sydney (January) SOLO EXHIBITIONS 1958 0 0 1959 0 1963 0 0 1966 1967 0 0 1969 0 1970 1971 1972 0 1973 1974 0 1975 1977 1978 1981 1982 1983 1984 0 1985 0 0 1986 0 1987 0 1988 1989 1990 1991 1994 1996 1998 1998 2000 2001 0 2002 2003 2004 2007 0 0 2007 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane Macquarie Galleries, Sydney Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne Museum of Modern Art Melbourne Terry Clune Gallery, Sydney Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle Hungary Horse Gallery, Sydney Skinner Gallery, Perth C.A.S., Adelaide Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle Bonython Galleries, Sydney South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne Bonython Art Gallery, Sydney South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne Reid Gallery, Brisbane Bonython Art Gallery, Sydney Dramalan College, Canberra South Yarra Gallery, Melbourne Bonython Gallery, Sydney Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney Coventry Gallery, Sydney Von Bertouch Gallery, Newcastle Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Niagara Galleries, Melbourne Stuart Gerstman Gallery, Melbourne Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Quintin Gallery, Perth Gerstman Abdallah Fine Arts International, Melbourne Gerstman Abdallah Fine Arts International, Melbourne Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Gerstman Abdallah Fine Arts International, Melbourne Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Art Gallery of New South Wales, A Retrospective Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne Gallery 20/21, Auckland, New Zealand Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney The Nolan Gallery, Canberra, Survey exhibition, works 1969 - 1996 Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney Since 1958, Elwyn Lynn has had 50 solo exhibitions in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Cologne, Germany, including the 1991 Retrospective 1956 - 1990 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Wagga City Art Gallery and Bathurst City Art Gallery. GROUP EXHIBITIONS Since 1947 Elwyn Lynn has participated in over 150 group exhibitions in Australia, New Zealand, England, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Indonesia, Warsaw, Poland and Cologne. PRIZES 1957 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1976 1980 1983 1985 1987 1988 1992 Blake, Bathurst and Mosman Prizes Marrickville Prize Wagga Wagga and Campbelltown Prizes Muswellbrook, Wollongong and Young Prizes Rockdale and Wollongong Prizes RAS Modern Prize and Sidney Myer Charity Trust Prize Robin Hood Prize Festival of Fisher's Ghost Prize, Cambelltown Trustees' Watercolour Prize, Art Gallery of NSW Trustees' Watercolour Prize, Art Gallery of NSW Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of NSW University of NSW Purchase Prize Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of NSW Awarded Atelier at Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris COLLECTIONS Art Gallery of New South Wales National Gallery of Australia Queensland Art Gallery Art Gallery of South Australia Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Art Gallery of Western Australia National Gallery of Victoria Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery Auckland City Art Gallery, New Zealand National Gallery of Malaysia Araluen Centre, Alice Springs Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Bendigo Regional Art Gallery Broken Hill City Art Gallery Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne Penrith Regional Art Gallery Maitland City Art Gallery Mosman Council Collection Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Muswellbrook Regional Gallery Newcastle Regional Gallery Orange Regional Gallery Wollongong City Gallery Brisbane College of Advanced Education Edith Cowan University College of Fine Arts, University of NSW Monash University University of Sydney University of Newcastle University of New South Wales Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney University of Western Australia BHP Collection Gold Coast City Art Gallery National Bank of Australia Collection Charles Sturt University Art Collection

---

 HOME | EXHIBITIONS | ARTISTS | STOCKROOM

---

R O B I N G I B S O N G A L L E R Y