Sidney Nolan was born in Melbourne on 22 April 1917.

In 1946 Sidney Nolan began a series of paintings on the theme of the bush ranger Ned Kelly, and later painted personal interpreta-tions of historical and legendary figures such as Eliza Fraser and Burke and Wills, in which he expressed the feeling of the country and the timelessness of the myths.

Sidney Nolan also painted a series of works portraying Central Australia. From 1950 Nolan lived mainly in Britain and became Australia's most internationally celebrated painter. He also designed sets for ballet and opera and provided illustrations for books. He died in London on 28 November 1992, aged 75.