B. 1942 – 2013

Martin Sharp is recognised as Australia's foremost pop artist. Multi-talented, he worked as an artist, cartoonist, art director, graphic designer, songwriter, filmmaker and activist, producing a body of work that captured the zeitgeist. Born in Sydney, Sharp attended the National Art School where he co-produced a satirical broadsheet, The Arty Wild Oat – from here, he met editors of Honi Soit and Tharunka with whom he set up the iconic publication OZ. 

After finishing art school, Sharp moved to London where he lived in a decaying Georgian house called the Pheasantry. Inhabited by the likes of Eric Clapton and Germaine Greer, it was a hub of creativity, propelling Sharp towards the centre of London’s social life. When Sharp returned to Sydney in 1969 he set up The Yellow House, an artist commune that was a key locale of creative production until 1973. 

Sharp’s achievements are varied. He was commissioned to revitalise Luna Park’s clown-face in 1973 and went on to campaign for the protection of the park. He also produced posters for Bob Dylan and Donovan, and is represented in the collections of Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Gallery of Australia. Taking inspiration from collage, art nouveau, art deco, expressionism, Vincent Van Gogh and Hokusai, Sharp’s visual world is unique, enthralling and expansive, an expression of his belief that:

“Life is an experiment”. 

To read a more in-depth biography of the artist, click here.