Vale Thomas (Tom) Thompson [1923-2019]

Vale Thomas (Tom) Thompson [1923-2019]

2019-07-15

On behalf of the National Art School, it is very sad to hear of the loss of alumnus and former staff member Thomas (Tom) Thompson (1923-2019), who died in Sydney at the age of 95 on 13 July 2019.

Born on the 16 November 1923 in Narrabri, NSW, Tom studied at the National Art School on a Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scholarship (CRTS) from 1947 to 1950 after serving in World War Two as a tank gunner in Bougainville. His fellow students included Tony Tuckson, Guy Warren, Bert Flugelman, John Coburn and Robert Klippel. A talented student, he graduated with a Painting Diploma and was awarded the College Medal.

After finishing his studies, he went to England where he worked as a night watchman for the National Gallery in London. After a period overseas, he taught at the South Australian School of Art from 1952 to 1955.

Tom returned to the National Art School as a teacher in 1955, teaching painting and drawing for over 20 years. A great chronicler of events, he helped preserve the NAS Collection, and did many drawings of the site, its history and its occupants. Fifty-seven of his drawings of fellow artists are held in the State Library of NSW, and many of these are of teachers at the NAS. From 1975 to 1976 he was Head of the School of Art and Design before resigning to paint full time in his studio in Braidwood, NSW.

Influenced by Italian renaissance painting, Tom painted a number of large murals during his career. His commissioned works included murals for the International Air Terminal at Mascot, Sydney, three panels in tempera for Australia House, London, and a major mural for Parramatta City Council depicting the early days of the city.

His work was included in the Tate Gallery Exhibition of Australian Art, 1963, and he exhibited widely throughout Australia as well as undertaking a number of study tours of Europe. Thompson’s work was exhibited in The Studio Tradition, Manly Art Gallery, 2001, and Lines of Fire in the NAS Gallery in 2008, and ten of his student works are represented in the NAS Collection. His work is held in the National Gallery of Australia, State galleries in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Wellington, New Zealand.

The National Art School extends condolences to Tom’s family and friends. He will be greatly missed by his former colleagues and many students.

Steven Alderton
Director and CEO, National Art School

Top: Tom Thompson at the National Art School in 1948.
Below: Tom Thompson in 1986 and 2013. Photos: Cat Sparks

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Join our online information session to find out exactly what makes our Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) ideal for emerging artists.

New scholarships will be available to students entering the BFA (Hons), with further details to be shared later this year.

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Oct 10

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Join our online information session to find out exactly what makes our Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) ideal for emerging artists.

New scholarships will be available to students entering the BFA (Hons), with further details to be shared later this year.

...and that`s a wrap! Congratulations to all our Year 11 Visual Arts students who participated in the 2025 HSC Intensive program, Module 2.

We loved welcoming you to our campus for the last five days of creativity and hard work.

Best wishes for all your future endeavours as budding artists. We can`t wait to see what you create next.

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Oct 7

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...and that's a wrap! Congratulations to all our Year 11 Visual Arts students who participated in the 2025 HSC Intensive program, Module 2.

We loved welcoming you to our campus for the last five days of creativity and hard work.

Best wishes for all your future endeavours as budding artists. We can't wait to see what you create next.

Fondly remembered by a generation of TV viewers as the creator of `Mr Squiggle`, Norman Hetherington OAM (1921-2010) was a student at the National Art School from 1937-1941.

Co-scripted by his wife, Margaret, `Mr Squiggle` ran on the ABC for 40 years becoming the longest running children’s TV program in the world.

Norman Hetherington’s daughter Rebecca Hetherington co-hosted Mr Squiggle and in 2002 helped her father with his first solo exhibition (curated by NAS alumna Toni Warburton) at the Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre in the Blue Mountains.

Rebecca donated many of Norman’s works to the NAS Collection, including his poster (designed and painted when he was 17 years old) for the first known film by NAS students. `Love Laughs at Death` screened at NAS from 30 September-5 October 1938, and while the film itself has been lost, a photo and newspaper article about it were kept by actor and NAS alumna Shirley Jones.

The National Museum of Australia in Canberra (@nationalmuseumofaustralia) is showing the free exhibition `Mr Squiggle and Friends` until October 13.

---
Norman Hetherington
(1921-2010)
NAS student 1937-1938; 1939-1941

`Mr Squiggle`, etching, 12 x 9.5 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2023, National Art School Collection

Photographer unknown. Students Jim Swan, Shirley Jones and Jack Edwards from the film `Love Laughs at Death`, made and screened at NAS in 1938. This photograph was displayed on the front page of ‘The Labor Daily’, 3 September 1938. Jim Swan was the producer, Shirley Jones an actor, as was Jack Edwards who played the ‘Crazy Scientist’.

`Love Laughs at Death`, 1938 , gouache on cardboard, 63 x 55 cm , Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2020, National Art School Collection

`Screws`, 1937, ink on card, 11.5 x 12 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2022, National Art School Collection

`Man in suit`, 1937, gouache on card, 32 x 14.5 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2022, National Art School Collection

`Colour for men`, gouache on paper, 38 x 27 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2022, National Art School Collection

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Oct 5

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Fondly remembered by a generation of TV viewers as the creator of 'Mr Squiggle', Norman Hetherington OAM (1921-2010) was a student at the National Art School from 1937-1941.

Co-scripted by his wife, Margaret, 'Mr Squiggle' ran on the ABC for 40 years becoming the longest running children’s TV program in the world.

Norman Hetherington’s daughter Rebecca Hetherington co-hosted Mr Squiggle and in 2002 helped her father with his first solo exhibition (curated by NAS alumna Toni Warburton) at the Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre in the Blue Mountains.

Rebecca donated many of Norman’s works to the NAS Collection, including his poster (designed and painted when he was 17 years old) for the first known film by NAS students. 'Love Laughs at Death' screened at NAS from 30 September-5 October 1938, and while the film itself has been lost, a photo and newspaper article about it were kept by actor and NAS alumna Shirley Jones.

The National Museum of Australia in Canberra (@nationalmuseumofaustralia) is showing the free exhibition 'Mr Squiggle and Friends' until October 13.

---
Norman Hetherington
(1921-2010)
NAS student 1937-1938; 1939-1941

'Mr Squiggle', etching, 12 x 9.5 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2023, National Art School Collection

Photographer unknown. Students Jim Swan, Shirley Jones and Jack Edwards from the film 'Love Laughs at Death', made and screened at NAS in 1938. This photograph was displayed on the front page of ‘The Labor Daily’, 3 September 1938. Jim Swan was the producer, Shirley Jones an actor, as was Jack Edwards who played the ‘Crazy Scientist’.

'Love Laughs at Death', 1938 , gouache on cardboard, 63 x 55 cm , Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2020, National Art School Collection

'Screws', 1937, ink on card, 11.5 x 12 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2022, National Art School Collection

'Man in suit', 1937, gouache on card, 32 x 14.5 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2022, National Art School Collection

'Colour for men', gouache on paper, 38 x 27 cm, Gift of Rebecca Hetherington, 2022, National Art School Collection

Final weeks to visit The Neighbour at the Gate, closing Saturday 18 October.

Across various mediums and perspectives, The Neighbour at the Gate charts the entangled legacies of exclusion and resilience, drawing vital parallels between the past and present, memory and nationhood.

Learn more about the exhibition and plan your visit at the link in bio.

Please note: the gallery is closed for Labour Day Monday 6 October

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Oct 3

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Final weeks to visit The Neighbour at the Gate, closing Saturday 18 October.

Across various mediums and perspectives, The Neighbour at the Gate charts the entangled legacies of exclusion and resilience, drawing vital parallels between the past and present, memory and nationhood.

Learn more about the exhibition and plan your visit at the link in bio.

Please note: the gallery is closed for Labour Day Monday 6 October

Enjoy 20% off a Summer School Short Course with code FLASHSALE20

Don’t miss this exclusive 20% off flash sale on the National Art School Summer School Short Courses (link in bio). Flash Sale starts right now and ends midnight Monday 6 October.*

*Offer begins midday Friday 3 October and ends midnight Monday 6 October. Terms and conditions apply.

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Oct 3

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Enjoy 20% off a Summer School Short Course with code FLASHSALE20

Don’t miss this exclusive 20% off flash sale on the National Art School Summer School Short Courses (link in bio). Flash Sale starts right now and ends midnight Monday 6 October.*

*Offer begins midday Friday 3 October and ends midnight Monday 6 October. Terms and conditions apply.

We are pleased to share the exciting news that we are introducing a new BFA (Hons) degree at the National Art School in 2026.

The Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) is an intensive one-year program designed for graduates of the BFA who are ready to deepen their studio practice and expand their academic and professional capabilities. This course is ideal for emerging artists who want to refine their practice, build industry connections, and prepare for postgraduate study or professional opportunities in the creative sector.

New scholarships will be available to students entering the BFA (Hons), with further details to be shared later this year. For more information and key dates, visit futurestudents.nas.edu.au (link in bio).

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Oct 2

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Vale Thomas (Tom) Thompson [1923-2019]