National Art (Part One) now on tour

National Art (Part One) now on tour

The National Art School’s Archive and Collection is hitting the road! National Art (part one) will open at Tweed Regional Gallery on Friday 13 November 2020, running until Sunday 3 January 2021.

National Art (part one) presents a dynamic selection of artworks by 50 of Australia’s most significant artists who studied at NAS. As the school approaches 100 years on its Darlinghurst site (1922–2022) and over 175 years in operation, this exhibition celebrates some of the extraordinary artists it has trained over the past seven decades. The exhibition features recent artworks and early formative works by key alumni, and applauds the creative drive, skill and imagination of those who have emerged from the school’s historic sandstone walls to become artists of national significance.

National Art (part one) presents diverse approaches to artmaking bound by a common grounding in studio-based practice and a passionate commitment to experimentation. The artists’ approaches vary considerably, from abstract and expressive genres to experimentation with form, to cultural landscapes and political perspectives, Dada and the surreal, interior viewpoints and the everyday. The work demonstrates the key disciplines taught at NAS – ceramics, painting, photomedia, printmaking, sculpture – as well as inter-disciplinary practices utilising digital media, assemblage, performance and artists’ books.

Seven decades, 50 artists, 80 artworks.

Charles Blackman OBE, Les Blakebrough AM, Euphemia Bostock, Bill Brown, Mitch Cairns, Sophie Cape, Kevin Connor, Lucy Culliton, Elisabeth Cummings OAM, Karla Dickens, Ken Done AM, Merilyn Fairskye, Fiona Foley, Todd Fuller, Adrienne Gaha, Peter Godwin, Sarah Goffman, Fiona Hall AO, Michael Johnson, Alan Jones, Jan King, Juz Kitson, Ildiko Kovacs, Fiona Lowry, Guy Maestri, Tim Maguire, Dani McKenzie, Marie McMahon, Reg Mombassa (Chris O’Doherty), Idris Murphy, Catherine O’Donnell, Robert Owen, Peter Powditch AM, Les Rice, Joan Ross, Julie Rrap, Bill Samuels, Jeffrey Samuels, Luke Sciberras, Garry Shead, Gria Shead , Nicola Smith, Michael Snape, Tim Storrier AM, Ann Thomson, Ken Unsworth AM, Justine Varga, Guy Warren AM, Coen Young, Anne Zahalka.

 

Top image: Luke Sciberras, The Road from Momba, 2017, oil on board, 125 x 162 cm (framed), NAS Collection, donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2018 © the artist
Images (in order of appearance): Lucy Culliton, Bibbenluke garden snow pear trees, 2009, oil on canvas, 130 x 130 cm © the artist; Fiona Hall AO, ESTC, 1973, handmade album, 28 silver gelatin prints © the artist; Ildiko Kovacs, Edging in (detail), 2015–17, oil on Masonite, 160 x 120 cm © the artist; Tim Maguire, Untitled 20091108 (detail), 2009, oil on canvas, 180 x 168 cm © the artist; Joan Ross, All You Can Eat Seafood Buffet I (detail), 2017, hand painted pigment print on cotton rag paper, triptych, 72.8 x 100 cm each panel © the artist. All work National Art School Collection, donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2018
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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.
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).
Join us for free 18+ concert 'Afterglow' – The Neighbour at the Gate exhibition closing party.

Headlined by Miss Kaninna, the event features performances by HYLANDER, Rocky Stallone, BRINA, Kuya Hennessy, and DJ Court Jester. RSVP today as tickets are going fast!

Afterglow 
Thursday 16 October 
Doors: 4.30pm
Concert starts: 7.00pm
Cell Block Theatre, National Art School

Please note: if the Cell Block reaches capacity, you’re welcome to enjoy the concert from the courtyard until space opens up inside. Food trucks and pop up bar.

FREE ADMISSION, RSVP is essential due to limited capacity (link in bio)
Congratulations to NAS Short Courses Painting Lecturer Michelle Hiscock (@michellelouisemariehiscock) for winning the 2025 Portia Geach Memorial Award with her work, 'The Weather Watcher after Zurbarán'. 

The Portia Geach Memorial Award is the pre-eminent portraiture prize for women in Australia, established by Florence Kate Geach in memory of her sister in 1965. 

An exhibition of all finalists’ works is open for public viewing at the S.H. Ervin Gallery (@shervingallery) in The Rocks, Sydney, from Friday 19 September until Sunday 2 November.

Visit shop.nas.edu.au (link in bio) to book now for Term 4 Short Courses. Summer School Short Courses in January 2026 will open for booking from Friday 3 October. 

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Michelle Hiscock, 'The Weather Watcher after Zurbarán', 2025, oil on linen, 50 x 40 cm, courtesy of the artist and the S.H. Ervin Gallery (The Rocks, Sydney)
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