A long view of the natural world
John Olsen 'Elephants and Lily Pond'
Dear Collectors,
Art & Collectors is delighted to present our final curation from Director’s Choice 2026. Spanning a century of environmental interpretation, this selection reveals how the natural world continues to inspire and challenge artists. From delicate florals to bold landscapes, these works celebrate art’s enduring dialogue with the earth.
Two exceptional women, depicting floral compositions a century apart, anchor this theme. Rachel Newling’s 'Three Waratahs' (2025), a hand-painted linocut on Japanese Washi paper, brings native flora to vivid life, while Thea Proctor’s delicate 'The Spotted Jug' (1925), watercolor on silk, celebrates the subtle beauty of flowers with a refined, lyrical touch. Together, they showcase a century-long fascination with botanical form, texture, and color.
Thea Proctor 'The Spotted Jug'
Rachel Newling 'Three Waratahs'
The landscape works shift from literal representation to spiritual contemplation. Sidney Nolan’s 'House on Hill' (1942), enamel on canvas sacking, presents a raw, grounded Australian scene- earthly, tangible, and immediate.
In contrast, Sylvia Ken’s 'Seven Sisters' (2010), acrylic on canvas, transforms the land into a celestial narrative, telling of women fleeing across the Central Australian desert as their journey becomes immortalized in the stars.
Nature’s ethereal presence is explored in John Coburn’s screenprint 'Sentinel' (1987), John Olsen’s watercolour 'Elephants and Lily Pond' (1994), Zhang Huan’s photograph 'Unknown Mountain' (1995), and Martin King’s etching with chine-collé 'Pages from the Diary of Lost Souls: Blue Dawn' (2022). Coburn’s 'Sentinel' is a quiet guardian within the landscape. Olsen and Huan imbue the collection with movement and energy, while King weaves birds, hybrid trees, and historic diary pages into a contemplative landscape bridging past and present.
Martin King 'pages from the diary of lost souls: blue dawn'
Chosen for their integrity and longevity, the works in Director’s Choice reflect a discerning eye and a long view. Deeply resolved and emotionally intelligent, each piece reveals more the longer it is lived with, offering a lasting encounter with art and nature.
Zhang Huan 'To Add One Meter to an Unknown Mountain'
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