Valerie Marshall Strong Olsen: A Rare Sensibility

Curators: Tim and Louise Olsen

This exhibition is a rare opportunity to discover the work of Valerie Strong (1933−2011), who was a practicing artist and teacher for most of her life but seldom showed her work in public.

“As long as I can remember I’ve always been drawing and painting. I always remember my mother getting very annoyed with me for using up all her writing pads as a child.”

–– Valerie Strong, 1965

The 70 works in this exhibition, most never seen before in public, are chiefly from the collection of Valerie’s son and daughter, Sydney gallerist Tim Olsen and Louise Olsen, co-founder of Dinosaur Designs. Dating from 1959 to 2004, the works cross many mediums including oil and acrylic on board and canvas, watercolours, prints and drawings, including several life drawings from the NAS Collection.

“Valerie was an outstanding student at the National Art School, who became an accomplished and inspired artist and teacher in her own right. It’s wonderful to bring her work into the public eye and pay tribute to her as an important part of one of Australia’s most renowned creative families,” said NAS Director and CEO, Steven Alderton.

Valerie Froggett graduated in Painting in 1961 from NAS (then East Sydney Technical College), where two of her most influential teachers were John Passmore and Godfrey Mellor. She met John Olsen in 1960 when he taught at East Sydney Tech briefly. They married in 1962 and in 1967 founded The Bakery Art School in Paddington in an old bakery building where they both taught classes.

Valerie Marshall Strong Olsen: A rare sensibility, showing in the Rayner Hoff Project Space from 6 – 27 November, accompanies John Olsen: Goya’s Dog showing in the NAS Gallery from 29 October – 27 November, 2021. Valerie and John’s children Louise and Tim have curated this exhibition and share memories of their mother.

Image: Valerie Strong, Hawkesbury I (detail) c. 1987, mixed media on paper, 36 x 39 cm. Collection of Tim and Louise Olsen