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Alumni

As the longest continuing art school in Australia, the National Art School has a substantial and impressive cohort of alumni who have contributed to the history of Australian art and continue to influence contemporary art practice. Our alumni are represented in the most prestigious collections around the world, from the Tate in the UK and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, MoMA and the Solomon R. Guggenheim in New York, to all Australian state and the national galleries.

Graduates of National Art School who continue to enjoy outstanding success include Fiona Hall AO who represented Australia at the 2015 Venice Biennale of Art, 2012 Archibald Prize winner Tim Storrier and contemporary ceramicist Juz Kitson, who was selected to exhibit in Primavera: Young Australia Artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in 2013.

Below is a sample of some of our most esteemed alumni from the 1920s till the present day.

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Check out a selection of alumni, staff and student exhibitions on this month around Australia and the world here.

 

Key Alumni

1920s – Jean Broome, Lyndon Dadswell, Elaine Haxton AM, Frank Hinder, Arthur Murch, Joshua Smith, Barbara Tribe

1930s – Jean Appleton, Max Dupain OBE, AC, James Gleeson, Lorna Nimmo, Rosaleen Norton, Dorothy Thornhill

1940s – Tom Bass, Charles Blackman, John Coburn AO, Kevin Connor, Mollie Douglas, Bert Flugelman AM, Norman Hetherington OAM, Robert Klippel AO, Margaret Olley AC, Elizabeth Rooney, Peter Rushforth AM, Tony Tuckson, Guy Warren AM

1950s – Yvonne Audette, Les Blakebrough AM, Vivienne Binns, Ted Binder, Elisabeth Cummings OAM, Ken Done, Margaret Fink, Michael Johnson, Colin Lanceley, Keith Looby, John Olsen AO OBE, Roslyn Oxley OAM, Robert Owen, Mike Parr, Ann Thomson, Brett Whiteley, Wendy Whiteley OAM, William Wright AM

1960s – Bill Brown, Vivienne Binns OAM, Geoffrey Bardon AM, Richard Goodwin, Ian Howard, Colin Lanceley AO, Janet Mansfield OAM, Alan Oldfield, Peter Powditch AM, Bill Samuels, Ron Robertson-Swann OAM, Martin Sharp, Garry Shead, Tim Storrier AM, Ken Unsworth AM

1970s – Dr Philip Batty, Cressida Campbell, Merilyn Fairskye, Fiona Hall AO, Paul Hopmeier, Jan King, Marie McMahon, Reg Mombassa/Chris O’Doherty, Susan Norrie OAM, Julie Rrap, Michael Snape, Thancoupie AO, Anne Zalhalka

1980s – Fiona Foley, Adrienne Gaha, Peter Godwin, Ildiko Kovacs, Tim Maguire, Idris Murphy, Joan Ross, Louise Tuckwell

1990s – Lucy Culliton, Karla Dickens, Alan Jones, Fiona Lowry, Adam Rish, Luke Sciberras, Craig Waddell

2000s – Mitch Cairns, Jumaadi, Juz Kitson, Alesandro Ljubicic, Guy Maestri, Leslie Rice, Coen Young, Shonah Trescott, Justine Varga

2010–2015 – Sophie Cape, Todd Fuller, Mason Kimber, Michael McIntyre, Lucy O’Doherty, Catherine O’Donnell, Georgia Saxelby, Elyssa Sykes-Smith

2015–2020 – Eliza Gosse, Kirtika Kain, Dani Mackenzie, Ebony Russell, Natasha Walsh

 

VALE

The National Art School has been the training ground for some of Australia’s most significant and respected artists. On this page we recognise and pay homage to our alumni who have passed away recently.

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Facture – the manner in which something is made
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Join us Saturday 12 April for the 2025 Drawing Symposium at the National Art School, presented by the National Centre for Drawing. Featuring a diverse range of national and international speakers, as well as associated performances and exhibitions, this event is held in conjunction with the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize. The symposium will explore the theme of Facture, a concept that emphasises an artwork’s tangible reality as an intentionally crafted object, linking the act of creation directly to its physical presence. Considering an artwork in terms of its facture reveals it as a record of the artist’s decisions, methods, and materials. Discussions will examine how this concept enriches our understanding of drawing and aligns with contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches to art-making.
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Learn more and buy tickets at the link in bio.

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Mar 19

Open
Facture – the manner in which something is made — Join us Saturday 12 April for the 2025 Drawing Symposium at the National Art School, presented by the National Centre for Drawing. Featuring a diverse range of national and international speakers, as well as associated performances and exhibitions, this event is held in conjunction with the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize. The symposium will explore the theme of Facture, a concept that emphasises an artwork’s tangible reality as an intentionally crafted object, linking the act of creation directly to its physical presence. Considering an artwork in terms of its facture reveals it as a record of the artist’s decisions, methods, and materials. Discussions will examine how this concept enriches our understanding of drawing and aligns with contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches to art-making. — Learn more and buy tickets at the link in bio.

Opening night and winner announcement: 24th Dobell Drawing Prize

Join us on Thursday 10 April for the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, and an unparalleled celebration of technique, innovation and expanded practice. The winner will be announced at 6:30pm.

Presented at the National Art School in partnership with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, this biennial exhibition continues to highlight the enduring relevance and changing role of drawing within contemporary art practice. The winning work enters the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years.

This 24th edition is curated by Lucy Latella and showcases the work of 56 finalists, selected from 965 nationwide entries by judging panel Vernon Ah Kee, Dr Yolunda Hickman and Paula Latos-Valier AM.

RSVP at the link in bio.

View

Mar 13

Open
Opening night and winner announcement: 24th Dobell Drawing Prize Join us on Thursday 10 April for the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, and an unparalleled celebration of technique, innovation and expanded practice. The winner will be announced at 6:30pm. Presented at the National Art School in partnership with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, this biennial exhibition continues to highlight the enduring relevance and changing role of drawing within contemporary art practice. The winning work enters the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years. This 24th edition is curated by Lucy Latella and showcases the work of 56 finalists, selected from 965 nationwide entries by judging panel Vernon Ah Kee, Dr Yolunda Hickman and Paula Latos-Valier AM. RSVP at the link in bio.

Our academic year kicked off with Drawing Week, a program of drawing intensive workshops for our 2nd and 3rd year BFA students.

At the @sydneyoperahouse workshop, led by Drawing Lecturer Tango Conway, students were invited to experiment and expand their practice in an environment rarely open to the public.

Learn more about the BFA program at the link in bio.

View

Mar 9

Open
Our academic year kicked off with Drawing Week, a program of drawing intensive workshops for our 2nd and 3rd year BFA students. At the @sydneyoperahouse workshop, led by Drawing Lecturer Tango Conway, students were invited to experiment and expand their practice in an environment rarely open to the public. Learn more about the BFA program at the link in bio.
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