Allan Waite

Allan Waite

For the next instalment of On Stillness, we feature the work of NAS alumnus Allan Waite.

Seated Woman is deep in reflection. Cigarette in hand and sunlight on her cheek, she gazes over her shoulder at a distant scene. This charming portrait was painted by Allan Waite when he was a student at the National Art School in 1948. The figure is a life model posing at the art school and Waite’s portrait encapsulates the stillness and considered pose of the art students’ muse.

The composition, clothes and chair are evocative of the late 1940s, a period in which society was coming to terms with the aftermath of Second World War. Waite himself was a WWII Veteran who was only able to study art at NAS as a result of the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, an initiative of the Curtin Labor Government. He studied art full-time for free for two and a half years under greats such as Frank Hinder, Herbert Badham and John Godson and went on to have a successful career as an engraver, painter and watercolourist and was co-founder of Australian Artist magazine.

Image: Allan Waite (1924-2010), Seated Woman, 1948, oil on canvas, 33 x 47 cm, National Art School Collection, gift of Allan Waite, 2007 © the estate of the artist

#Follow us on Instagram
Thank you to everyone who attended the opening night of ‘Queer Contemporary: Chaosophy’ 
‘Chaosophy’ is now open until Saturday 8 March
11am – 5pm Monday to Saturday
Building 25 Project Space
Free admission, all welcome 
Learn more about the exhibition at the link in bio.
NAS Library is proud to launch their 2025 Library Stairwell Gallery programming with this years LSG show for Queer Contemporary, ‘Subtexts’, opening this Thursday 13 February.  ‘Subtexts’ unites four artists whose work demonstrates the complexities of queer identity, each considering their own personal relationship with queerness. The show offers alternative narratives and styles that challenge notions of queer uniformity, opting to explore the undertones and implications of queerness as a dislocated front.  ‘Subtexts’ asks of the ambiguous term; Are we united by virtue of our difference, or rather the unique positions it presents us?  Featuring works by
@professional__disoppointment
@sarah_r_serfati
@theolathouras
@ziggywoodartist
We’re looking for an Exhibitions Project Officer!  The role has a focus on major Indigenous exhibition projects currently in development for the National Art School as well as touring programs. The role assists with the delivery and coordination of Gallery programs, talks, and other events in the gallery spaces.  You have a background in visual art, art history, curatorship and gallery experience. You have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, along with strong organisational and project management experience.  Note this is an Identified Role and is open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants only, in accordance with Section 14(D) of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act, 1977 NSW.  Application deadline extended to Sunday 9 February.  Apply at the link in bio.
—
Ronan Pirozzi, 'Serpentine', 2023; 'Trajectory', 2023; 'Desolate', 2023; installation view, undo the day, NAS Gallery, Sydney, 2024, oil on welded steel, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Zan Wimberley
The National Art School has today announced respected Australian academic, writer and curator Dr Kristen Sharp as the next Director and Chief Executive Officer.  Kristen joins the National Art School with extensive experience in the fields of contemporary art and tertiary education having spent six years as Associate Dean Discipline, Art in the School of Art at RMIT University, and previously 9 years as Academic Lead Art History and Theory at RMIT. She will commence her new role at the National Art School on 24th February 2025.  Read the full media release at the link in bio.
Loading...