The New Nation - Internet Edition

Some of Nolan's most famous paintings are included, such as Boy and the moon 1939-40, the iconic Kelly masterpiece First class marksman 1946, Pretty polly mine 1948, Burke and Wills leaving Melbourne 1950, The temptation of St Anthony 1952 and Rimbaud at Harar 1963.

The epicentre of the retrospective however, is the historic conjoining in two semi-circles - echoing Monet's famous waterlilies murals in Paris - of the multi-panel paintings Riverbend I 1964-65 and Riverbend II 1965-66, where we may become immersed in Nolan's dreamlike return to the inner landscape of his childhood, made indelible long before he gained a reputation as one of Australia's greatest artists. Riverbend I and II evoke the place where the artist's grandfather struggled on the land, and as a policeman pursued the Kelly gang, embedding at once in Nolan's psyche the refrain of a violent past and a deep love of the Australian bush.

'Although this discovery of truth about Australia is an important element in his work, I think it can be overstated. For Nolan is not at all a factual artist. He is, on the contrary, a man of active and disquieting imagination, and one of the fascinating things about his work is its unpredictability.'

- Kenneth Clark, 1961

A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition. Published by Beagle Press, the catalogue includes a major essay by the curator Barry Pearce and contributions by Edmund Capon, Frances Lindsay and Lou Klepac, with Nolan's own eloquent words woven throughout.

The Principal Sponsor of this exhibition is Ernst & Young.

'Ernst & Young is proud to be partnering with the Gallery on the Sidney Nolan retrospective. This exhibition reflects our commitment to the arts, both in Australia and around the world, and to the communities in which we serve. The Art Gallery of New South Wales is to be congratulated on this important and valuable exhibition.' - James Millar, CEO Australia.