12 Facts About Bernard Ollis

Bernard Ollis OAM was born on 25 April 1951 and is a British-Australian artist, painter and advocate for arts education.

Bernard Ollis has an extensive academic and professional portfolio across numerous arts institutions within Australia and Europe.

Bernard Ollis is the longest serving director of the National Art School; his tenure spanned over 11 years.

Bernard Ollis has held over 80 solo exhibitions across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Germany, France and the UK.

Bernard Ollis was born on 25 April 1951 and raised in Bath, Somerset, England.

Bernard Ollis was the first child in his family to attend university.

In 1976, Bernard Ollis moved to Darwin, Australia; to lecture at Charles Darwin University.

Bernard Ollis has held over 60 solo exhibitions since 1972 in Australia, New Zealand, and London, and has participated in group exhibitions throughout Australia, Europe, and Asia.

Bernard Ollis undertook a residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris in 1975 and in 2008 he underwent a Residency as the guest of the Australian Ambassador to Egypt, Dr Bob Bowker.

Bernard Ollis received the 1976 John Minton International Painting Prize, the 1977 Sir Frederick Richards' Travelling Scholarship, an Australia Council Visual Arts Board Grant, and the Conrad Jupiters Award in 2005.

Bernard Ollis's work is currently held in public collections in Australia and the United Kingdom, including the Royal College of Art London, National Gallery of Australia, Parliament House, Canberra, and the State Galleries of Queensland, Victoria and Northern Territory.

Bernard Ollis received a scholarship from the Commonwealth Institute, London, to undertake a residency with the Maltese Studio International as part of the Youth Arts Festival, Malta in 1975.