Discover Australia’s iconic impressionist Arthur Streeton

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is proud to present Streeton, a landmark exhibition of Australia’s greatest impressionist landscape painter, Arthur Streeton, whose brilliant evocations of light, land and sea captured the spirit and optimism of our country.

Featuring more than 150 paintings, drawings and watercolours from 42 public and private collections, some not exhibited publicly for more than 100 years, Streeton is an in-depth survey of the artist’s career over six decades.  

The most comprehensive exhibition of the artist’s work since his 1931 lifetime retrospective at the Art Gallery of NSW, Streeton presents sun-drenched impressionist landscapes from the 1880s, joyful depictions of Sydney Harbour in the 1890s, pastoral paintings from the 1920s and 30s, and a selection of artworks from the artist’s international career painting in Egypt, England, Italy and WWI France.

Exhibition curator and Art Gallery of NSW head curator of Australian art Wayne Tunnicliffe said Streeton loved the Australian landscape – especially Australia’s forests.

“Most remarkable for his time, Streeton became a passionate environmentalist who published extensively from the late 1920s on conservation and urban planning issues and exhibited thought-provoking works depicting damage to the natural world, such as Silvan Dam and Donna Buang, AD 2000 1940 and The vanishing forest 1934,” said Tunnicliffe.

“A century later, his predictions of environmental destruction at the hands of humans are as relevant now as when they were painted,” he said.

Through his art and writing, Streeton campaigned for the preservation of open space and opposed coal mining projects, the destruction of old growth eucalypts for woodchip and the construction of a tramline through Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Garden.

Supported by Destination NSW, Streeton is on show at the Art Gallery of NSW until 14 February 2020. For tickets and more information, please visit artgallery.nsw.gov.au.