ELWYN LYNN

A self-taught artist, Lynn was influenced by the working processes and textural works of the Spanish ‘matter painters’ (which included Antoni Tapies), whose work he saw on exhibition at the Venice Biennale (1958). Lynn reinvented this brutalist aesthetic to capture the expansive, visceral nature of the Australian landscape in assertive abstract paintings. He used a range of media (wood, rope and paint), creating unconventional surfaces with geometric forms, bold lines and earth tones, revealing a hostile, isolated landscape.

An innovative and influential artist in post-war Australia, in addition to numerous group shows, he held over 40 solo exhibitions, wrote several books and worked as the editor for Art and Australia. Lynn has made a significant contribution to Australian culture as an artist, an arts advocate and a collector in his role as curator of the Power Gallery of Contemporary Art at Sydney University (1969-1983). He developed the gallery’s international collection which is now held in Sydney’s Museum Of Contemporary Art along with the artist’s work.