Colin Lanceley Chablis 1980-81 oil, mixed media and wood on canvas 143 x 220 x 18 cm (Image © the Lanceley estate administered by The Copyright Agency, Sydney)
The National Art School Gallery is about to unveil a major exhibition celebrating the work of Colin Lanceley (1938-2015)
Lanceley was a Modernist trailblazer who believed in celebrating the joyous qualities of life in his vibrant, three-dimensional art.
Born in New Zealand in 1938 and growing up on Sydney’s north shore, a life creating art was not on the cards for young Colin, but with the encouragement of key teachers he found his way to the place he belonged, and in turn helped countless others setting off on their own artistic path.
After studying at the National in the 1950s, which he described as “the opening of my life”, he returned to teach there from the 1980s, then in the 1990s helped write a new chapter for the School as an independent tertiary institution offering visual art degrees, after decades of being attached to NSW’s technical education sector.
In the 1960s and 70s, Colin was a vigorous and adventurous spirit at a time when contemporary Australian art was discovering new forms and inspiration, as well as acknowledging the ancient country’s unique and powerful Indigenous art.
Curated by Sioux Garside and supported by Lanceley’s wife, Kay, this exhibition is a celebration of the artist’s life and work, confirming his creative legacy in the same year the National Art School celebrates 100 years since moving to the Darlinghurst Gaol site.
The exhibition opens Friday 24 June and is current until Saturday 13 August 2022. For more information, visit the National Art School website.