Gareth Sansom is a pioneering and highly influential figure in Australian contemporary art — a restless innovator whose career spans more than six decades since his first exhibition at 19 years old in 1959. Renowned for his audacious fusion of abstraction and figuration, Sansom has continually defied categorisation, merging pop-cultural references, personal iconography, and psychological inquiry with biting wit and vivid colour. Though his work may, at first glance, appear exuberant, beneath the surface lies a sophisticated visual intelligence that rewards deep looking.

A revered teacher and former Head of Painting and then Dean of the School of Art at the Victorian College of the Arts, Sansom has shaped generations of artists while remaining fiercely individual in his own practice. Based locally in Sorrento, he continues to paint with the same energy and curiosity that’s defined his remarkable 66-year contribution to Australian art. His paintings combine elements that might seem unlikely, yet they come together with a lively and surprising harmony that is distinctly his own.

Image: Gareth Sansom, I walked with a zombie, 2020 (detail), oil and enamel and collage of old slides on linen, © the artist.

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