Sidney Nolan Centenary Focus Display

To mark the centenary of Sidney Nolan’s birth, Heide Museum of Modern Art pays tribute to Nolan’s iconic Ned Kelly series, conceived and painted in the dining room of the original Heide farmhouse from March 1946 until July 1947. Part of the Heide Collection, Kelly at the Mine (1946-47) will be displayed alongside a selection of Nolan memorabilia in the Heide I library.

Completed when Nolan was thirty, the Kelly paintings were left behind at Heide as a parting gift to his lover and muse Sunday Reed. Sunday subsequently donated the series to the National Gallery of Australia in 1976, stating that the gift was made ‘with love’.

A program of Kelly-focused talks and tours will run throughout 2017. Visitors can learn the fascinating story of the Kelly paintings, from their inception to their departure from Heide, with a focus not only on the paintings’ history but also on exciting recent scientific revelations that shed light on Nolan’s techniques and creative decision-making.