'SLEEPWALKING' Installation View Julian Meagher Julian Meagher - 'SLEEPWALKING'  Installation View
'SLEEPWALKING' Installation View 2020
'SLEEPWALKING' Installation ViewJulian Meagher'SLEEPWALKING'  Installation View
'SLEEPWALKING' Installation View2020
Slow Wave Cycle 7 Julian Meagher Julian Meagher - Slow Wave Cycle 7
Slow Wave Cycle 7 2021
Slow Wave Cycle 7Julian MeagherSlow Wave Cycle 7
Slow Wave Cycle 72021
oil on linen
153 x 122 cm
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Sleep Cycle 14 Julian Meagher Julian Meagher - Sleep Cycle 14
Sleep Cycle 14 2020
Sleep Cycle 14Julian MeagherSleep Cycle 14
Sleep Cycle 142020
oil on linen
153 x 122 cm
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'SLEEPWALKING' Installation View Julian Meagher Julian Meagher - 'SLEEPWALKING'  Installation View
'SLEEPWALKING' Installation View 2020
'SLEEPWALKING' Installation ViewJulian Meagher'SLEEPWALKING'  Installation View
'SLEEPWALKING' Installation View2020
Slow Wave Cycle 7 Julian Meagher Julian Meagher - Slow Wave Cycle 7
Slow Wave Cycle 7 2021
Slow Wave Cycle 7Julian MeagherSlow Wave Cycle 7
Slow Wave Cycle 72021
oil on linen
153 x 122 cm
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Sleep Cycle 14 Julian Meagher Julian Meagher - Sleep Cycle 14
Sleep Cycle 14 2020
Sleep Cycle 14Julian MeagherSleep Cycle 14
Sleep Cycle 142020
oil on linen
153 x 122 cm
SOLD 
Julian Meagher

Julian Meagher uses art to make sense of the world, charging his romantic compositions with difficult questions about masculinity, mortality and our nation’s self-image. His works speak to physical and social landscapes of Australia, the histories we inherit and how we reconcile our own place in those legacies as we move forward. Recently he became a parent, a development that has shifted his contemplations on legacy to more immediate matters. ­­Experiencing life through the wonderous eyes of his children has given him pause – and a pensive new outlook that has also altered his relationship to painting.

His already sparse landscapes are now pared even further back, fading out to ambiguous colour fields. Less didactic and more lyrical than earlier works, they eschew representation in favour of evocations of moments – light dwindling through a window, a child’s laugh, storms out to sea. Viewed alongside his intimately-scaled portraits, they hint at the tension this new father feels – delighting in his children’s innocence, while knowing they’ve arrived into a world that’s never felt so uncertain. They suggest that while Meagher’s concern for the future remains, he has a renewed appreciation of what it’s all for.

Julian Meagher has exhibited widely throughout Australia and internationally. A multiple time finalist in the Archibald Prize (2018, 2015, 2014) and Salon Des Refuses (2018, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2003), his work has also been recognised in the Glover Award (2019), Paddington Art Prize (2018), Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award (2017, 2016), Mosman Art Prize (2013), Doug Moran Portrait Prize (2012, 2009), Metro Art Prize (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009), Black Swan Prize for Portraiture (2010) and the Blake Prize (2009). Selected for the invitation-only Gold Award at Rockhampton Art Gallery, he was the recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts New Work Grant in 2012 and 2009.

Born 1978, Sydney

Lives and works in Sydney

EDUCATION

2003

  • Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, University of New South Wales

2000

  • Portrait Painting at Charles H Cecil Studios, Florence, Italy

1997

  • Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2020

  • Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane (forthcoming)

2019

  • 'The Space into Bicheno II', Olsen Gallery, Sydney
  • 'The Space into Bicheno I', Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, presented by Olsen Gallery, Sydney
  • 'The Space Between Here and There', Yavuz Gallery, Singapore

2018

  • 'Tidelines', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane (forthcoming)
  • 'Inlet/Outlet', Bega Regional Gallery, Sydney

2017

  • 'There Is Hope To The Last Flower', Olsen Gallery, Sydney

2016

  • 'Everybody Talks In Their Sleep', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Melbourne

2015

  • 'Alone in the Sun', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
  • 'Drinking with the Other Sun', Olsen Gallery, Sydney

2014

  • 'The Sky Still Breaks', Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles

2013

  • 'The Space Between Clouds and Mud', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane

2012

  • 'Pressure Makes Diamonds', Aratong Galleries, Australian High Commission, Singapore
  • 'As a Matter of Fact', 52 Tins flight QF1, Art Vault, Mildura, Victoria

2011

  • 'Blue Ribbon', Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
  • 'The King of Good Times', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
  • 'Strong Men Also Cry', Lindberg Gallery, Melbourne

2010

  • 'Small Heroes', Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Portable Shrines', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane

2009

  • 'Mikoshi', Scott Livesey Gallery, Melbourne
  • 'Inks in Oil', Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney

2008

  • 'The best gesture of my brain', Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Scrub Series', Upstairs Flinders Gallery, Melbourne

2007

  • 'Integument', Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019

  • Art Basel Hong Kong, Yavuz Gallery
  • 'The Stockroom Exhibition', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
  • 'The New Gallery Show', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane

2018

  • '10th Anniversary Exhibition', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
  • Melbourne Pop Up Exhibition, Edwina Corlette Gallery
  • ‘5x5 The Artist and The Patron', Penrith Regional Gallery, NSW
  • ‘The Archibald Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

2017

  • Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
  • ‘Coast’, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane

2014

  • Melbourne Art Fair, Edwina Corlette Gallery

2013

  • Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Chalk Horse Gallery
  • 'Fhloston Paradise', Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles

2012

  • Miami Scope Art Fair, Chalk Horse Gallery
  • Melbourne Art Fair, Chalk Horse Gallery
  • 'New Collectors', Edwina Corlette Gallery

2011

  • Miami Scope Art Fair, Chalk Horse Gallery
  • 'Lust', Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
  • 'Wattle', Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2010

  • Tatau, BMGART Adelaide
  • Shanghai Art Fair, Future Perfect Contemporary Art Platform, China
  • Melbourne Art Fair, Chalk Horse Gallery
  • Aratong Gallery, Singapore

2009

  • 'Christmas Show', Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
  • Australia Council for the Arts Group Show /Artbank, Sydney
  • 'The Horn of Plenty', Para/site Gallery, Hong Kong
  • 'Inks', Concord Library, City of Canada Bay Sydney
  • 'Smoking Guns', The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

2008

  • 'Chalk Reindeer', Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
  • 'My Body, My Business', At The Vanishing Point Gallery, Sydney

2007

  • 'Chalk Reindeer', Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
  • Australia Council of the Arts Window Box Show, Sydney
  • 'New Artists Collective Exhibition', McCulloch Gallery, Melbourne
  • 'Cross Sections II Collector’s Choice', Rex-Livingston Gallery, Sydney

AWARDS

2019

  • Finalist, Glover Prize, Evandale

2018

  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Salon Des Refuses, S.H. Erwin Gallery, Sydney
  • Finalist, Paddington Art Prize

2017

  • Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega Valley Regional Gallery

2016

  • Finalist, Gold Award, Rockhampton Art Gallery, Queensland

2015

  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Semi-Finalist, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney
  • Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery

2014

  • Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales

2013

  • Finalist, Mosman Art Prize, Sydney

2012

  • Australia Council New Work Early Career Grant
  • Finalist, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney
  • Finalist, Metro Art Prize, Melbourne
  • Finalist, Salon Des Refuses, S.H. Erwin Gallery, Sydney

2011

  • Finalist, Metro Art Prize, Melbourne

2010

  • Finalist, Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, Artrinsic, Perth
  • Finalist, Metro Art Award, Melbourne
  • Finalist, Salon Des Refuses, S.H Erwin Gallery, Sydney

2009

  • Finalist, RBS Emerging Art Award, Sydney
  • Finalist, The Blake Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Finalist, Metro 5 Art Prize, Melbourne
  • Finalist, Doug Moran Portrait Prize, State Library New South Wales
  • Finalist, Salon Des Refuses, S.H Erwin Gallery, Sydney

2008

  • Australia Council Emerging Artist New Work Development Grant

COLLECTIONS

  • Artbank
  • Australian Catholic University Art Collection
  • Australian War Memorial, Canberra
  • Bega Valley Regional Gallery, NSW
  • St Paul’s College, Sydney University
  • St John’s College, Sydney University
  • St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Sydney
  • Private collections in Australia and Internationally

18 October 2022 – 5 November 2022
‘Light Matter’ featuring Julian Meagher & Marisa Purcell

3 January 2022 – 1 February 2022
THE SUMMER SALON

28 October 2020 – 18 November 2020
Julian Meagher ‘Sleepwalking’

26 June 2019 – 17 July 2019
THE NEW GALLERY SHOW — A Group Exhibition

18 September 2018 – 10 October 2018
Julian Meagher ‘Tidelines’

29 August 2018 – 15 September 2018
THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

14 – 17 August 2014
Melbourne Art Fair

10 September 2013 – 12 October 2013
5th Anniversary Exhibition

6 – 24 March 2012
Collectors Show

2 January 2011 – 19 February 2011
Summer Show

27 September 2010 – 16 October 2010
Spring Exhibition

12 April 2010 – 1 May 2010
Julian Meagher ‘Portable Shrines’

July 8, 2021

JULIAN MEAGHER FEATURED ON THE DESIGN FILES WITH CRAIG 'FOZZY' FOSTER

Art, Activism And The Archibald

CREATIVE PEOPLE

Art has always been a vehicle for social dialogue, and a window into current political issues. When Sydney artist Julian Meagher met former professional soccer player, commentator and human rights advocate Craig ‘Fozzy’ Foster AM, he was inspired.

READ MORE ON THE DESIGN FILES HERE

June 8, 2021

JULIAN MEAGHER FEATURED IN ARTIST PROFILE MAGAZINE

WORDS EMMA-KATE WILSON

A few years ago, Sydney-based artist Julian Meagher welcomed the birth of his son and found himself working more instinctively. ‘I think I’m making better works because I am taking a lot more risks, I make so many more bad paintings that end up in the bin now than I used to,’ he comments.

When his daughter was born eight months ago, he went through a whole new level of sleep deprivation and heartbreak, with their little girl suffering reflux for six months. ‘Sleepwalking’ channels this energy, exploring the space between altered states, the subconscious and dreaming.

Alongside ultra-romantic pink and blue landscapes, complete with rainbows, built through active painting, raw brushstrokes and delicate fades, Meagher presents his sleeping family. The small and intimate portraits connect with the large glitchy, idyllic landscapes. ‘I’m trying to make sense of the complex human existence through the power and beauty of nature,’ he adds, ‘I feel like a rainbow next to a little sleeping baby is what we need right now … A hope that things will get better on both a personal and collective level.’

Meagher’s palette is deliberately muted, soft, subtle. He says, ‘I think painting is only good if you’re true to yourself. Painting is a kind of meditation for me in a way; I want the end result to slow down my breath rate.’

To construct his portraits and colour fields – which can be read as landscapes, abstracted, or the sky out of his studio window – Meagher applies thin layers and begins to remove the colour as it starts to dry. Working against the drying time of the paint stops the artist from ‘overcooking’ them. By revealing the linen below, the canvases hold luminosity, adding a watercolour effect evocative of the ocean-inspired landscapes. ‘We’ve all seen those storms out to sea; it’s in our collective consciousness,’ he explains, ‘most can associate strong memories and rites of passage with these coastline images.’

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

February 28, 2019

JULIAN MEAGHER FINALIST IN THE GLOVER PRIZE 2019

After receiving a record-breaking 482 entries this year and careful deliberation from the judges, the Glover Prize has announced its 42 finalists for 2019. These finalists represent the Judges’ selection of the best artworks of the Tasmanian landscape, chosen from the 482 entrants coming from every Australian state and territory, as well as a number of submissions from New Zealand, Italy, and the United Kingdom. These 42 artworks will be on display at the Glover Prize Exhibition at Falls Park Pavilion in Evandale, Tasmania during March this year.

The judges for the Glover Prize 2019 are Art Fairs Australia CEO and director, Barry Keldoulis; Sydney artist Joan Ross; and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) director, Janet Carding. The judges next task is to carefully narrow down the 42 finalists to choose the winner of the $50,000 cash prize. After its display at the exhibition, the John Glover Society Inc. will acquire the winning artwork for its collection.

Julian Meagher's work Democratic Mountain has been selected as one of the finalists. The exhibition commences on the March long-weekend, running from Saturday the 9th of March, 2019 and continuing until the end of the following weekend on Sunday the 17th of March, 2019, at the historic Falls Park Pavilion in Evandale.

READ MORE HERE

October 4, 2018

THE KINGS SCHOOL ART PRIZE

Miranda Skoczek, Julian Meagher and John Aslanidis are finalists in The Kings School Art Prize 2018.

The King’s Art Prize is a $20,000 acquisitive award presented to the best contemporary artwork created by an artist resident in Australia and represented by a commercial gallery, supporting both the artists and the fine arts industry. Entry is by invitation only and the finalists are selected by an appointed Art Prize panel.

READ MORE HERE

September 30, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER IN THE PADDINGTON ART PRIZE

Congratulations to Julian Meagher who is a finalist in the Paddington Art Prize 2018.

The Paddington Art Prize is a $30,000 National acquisitive prize, awarded annually for a painting inspired by the Australian landscape. The prize encourages the interpretation of the landscape as a significant contemporary genre, its long tradition in Australian painting as a key contributor to our national ethos, and is a positive initiative in private patronage of the arts in Australia.

Of his entry 'Wapengo Lake Tideline', Julian says

I wanted this work to chase the spontaneity and freedom of a watercolour. It was painted at a time of great change just before my son was born. A time of giving in to forces far greater than me, of tides, cycles and connection to country.

READ MORE HERE

May 14, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER IN THE SALON DES REFUSES AT SH ERVIN GALLERY

The Salon des Refusés was initiated by the S.H.Ervin Gallery in 1992 in response to the large number of works entered into the Archibald Prize which were not selected for display in the official exhibition. The Archibald Prize is one of Australia’s most high profile and respected awards which attracts hundreds of entries each year and the S.H. Ervin Gallery’s ‘alternative’ selection has become a much anticipated feature of the Sydney art scene.

Julian Meagher's work 'Wapengo #1' was selected in 2018.  Wapengo #1 is from a series painted after a recent residency on the Sapphire Coast where Meagher spent a month with his pregnant wife Beejal in Mimosa Rocks National Park. He says:

‘I wanted these oil paintings to chase the spontaneity and freedom of a watercolour. They are unashamedly romantic, painted at a time of great change just before my son was born. A time of giving in to forces far greater than me, of tides, cycles and connection to country.’

READ MORE HERE

May 14, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER FINALIST IN THE ARCHIBALD PRIZE 2018

Julian Meagher is a finalist in the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Archibald prize, the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. His work is of Man Booker prize recipient Richard Flanagan.  Meagher says:

'Richard Flanagan’s novels are published in 42 countries and have received numerous honours and awards, including the 2002 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the 2014 Man Booker Prize and the 2016 Athens Prize for Literature.

‘He is one of my favourite novelists but it is his writing and interviews on literature, the environment, art and politics that particularly make him one of Australia’s most important voices,’ says Julian Meagher. ‘Herb, Richard’s writing partner, was pretty insistent that he be included in the painting.’

Born in 1978 in Sydney, Meagher still lives and works there. This is his third time in the Archibald Prize. He has also been a Wynne finalist.

READ MORE HERE

May 3, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER IN VOGUE LIVING MAY/JUN 2018

Julian Meagher is featured in the May/June edition of Vogue Living magazine.

March 30, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER AT PENRITH REGIONAL GALLERY

5 x 5 – the Artist and the Patron

24 March 2018 – 20 May 2018

The artist-collector relationship has existed for millennia, manifesting in multiple forms with varying outcomes. During the Renaissance, the patronage of the Medici family enabled Raphael and Leonardo DaVinci to focus solely on art. Just outside Melbourne, during the mid twentieth century, at their home Heidi, John and Sunday Reed invited a young Sidney Nolan inside their world, creating a consummate creative union. In Sydney, Judith Nielsen has helped usher contemporary Chinese artists from emerging to legendary status. Each partnership has yielded significant outputs reverberating throughout different cultures.

5X5 recognizes the cultural significance of these types of pairings by exploring the trajectories of five artists and their parallel collector relationships:

  • Amanda Love / Tracey Emin
  • Dr. Dick Quan / Uji ‘Hahan’ Handoko Eko Saputro
  • Lisa Paulsen / Patrick Hartigan
  • James Emmett / Julian Meagher
  • The Private Collector / Nigel Milsom

Marking a twenty-five-year relationship, artist Julian Meagher and collector James Emmett have the longest standing association of all the collector-artist pairings showcased in 5X5. Their journey begins when they went to high school together. The pair would become closer friends when Emmett’s partner, Peter Wilson commissioned Meagher to paint Emmett’s portrait during their university years (included in this exhibition).

The works included in this exhibition span the entire period of the Emmett and Meagher’s art collecting/ art making histories. Interestingly, Meagher admits that some of these earlier works are no longer representative of his current practice, revealing the temporal nature of collecting. Often new acquisitions redefine the collection or an artist’s output as a whole by casting new light on past works or acquisitions and suggesting possible directions for the future. Nevertheless, this relationship timestamps their shared experiences as they developed into their adult selves.

Click here to view the Catalogue

March 6, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER FEATURE / SEMI PERMANENT

Tides and cycles

By Christopher Barker, Tuesday February 13, 2018

For Sydney artist Julian Meagher, 'Inlet/Outlet' is a new type of beast.

Not so much in its challenge to Australia’s contemporary cultural identity (something he is largely known and regarded for), but for translating those ideals to landscape works inspired by the far South Coast of New South Wales Australia. The result, a 21-piece exhibition at the Bega Valley Regional Gallery, chases freedom, the tide and slow looking. The effect on him, profound as it may be, is outlined in our interview below. 

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

March 6, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER / ARTIST PROFILE MAGAZINE

Julian Meagher's three week residency at the Myer House at Blithry Inlet on the south coast of New South Wales and the resultant solo exhibition at Bega Regional Gallery is profiled on the Artist Profile blog.

'Sydney artist Julian Meagher's latest exhibition 'Inlet Outlet' is the fruit of a 2017 residency with Bega Valley Regional Gallery (BVRG). A pilot project for a long-term partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and BVRG, the inaugural residency signals 'another key step in the development of the arts in the region and provides the opportunity for visual artists to draw from the unique natural environment of the local region, connect with regional communities and expand their practice outside of metropolitan studios', says BVRG Director Iain Dawson.'

VIEW THE ARTICLE HERE

March 6, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER AT BEGA REGIONAL GALLERY

In April 2017 Bega Valley Regional Gallery welcomed prominent Sydney artist Julian Meagher as inaugural artist in residence. A pilot project for a long term partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the BVRG, the residency offered the opportunity for visual artists to draw from the unique natural environment of the local region, whilst connecting with regional communities and expanding their practice outside of metropolitan studios.

Meagher spent time at the beautiful Sir Roy Grounds-designed Myer House set on Bithry Inlet in the pristine Mimosa Rocks National Park and Inlet Outlet showcases the artistic fruits of that stay.

Exhibition on until 10 march 2018

READ MORE HERE

February 28, 2018

JULIAN MEAGHER AT BYRON AT BYRON

Byron Bay's Byron at Byron Hotel recently completed a renovation which included a suite of works by Julian Meagher.

Designed by well known interior designer Luchetti Krelle, art takes pride of place within the newly renovated walls, with finalist of the 2015 Archibald Prize, Julian Meagher commissioned to paint a series of still life paintings featuring Australian natives for the hotel. 

READ MORE HERE

September 29, 2017

JULIAN MEAGHER & VIPOO SRIVILASA: 2017 NATIONAL STILL LIFE AWARD

Congratulations to Julian Meagher and Vipoo Srivilasa for being finalists of the 2017 National Still Life Award at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.

The acquisitive Award offers a major award of $20,000 as well as a People’s Choice Award of $5,000. This years' judge is Lisa Slade, Assistant Director of Artistic Programs at Art Gallery of South Australia. 

Finalist works exhibited Friday 24th November 2017 to Saturday 20th of January 2018 at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.

August 7, 2017

JULIAN MEAGHER: LIFE DRAWING FOR NAVA

Hosted by the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) in Sydney on 18 August, you now have the chance to learn life drawing from some of the best in the business, with a one-off class led by Archibald Prize finalists. 

Supporting NAVA, the 15-person only event will see past Archibald finalists Jasper Knight, Julian Meagher, Dean Brown and Oliver Watts give out tips via way of a life drawing class, discuss their work and also tour their Darlinghurst studio. 

“One of the things I like most about life drawing is the communal nature of it. Oliver, Jasper and I spent many of our teenage years together at life drawing classes. I'm looking forward to getting the band back together! Art can be a lonely pursuit so it is magical when you can bounce ideas and create work alongside your peers. NAVA plays a key role in our community and I think it is fitting to be able to support it in this way,” says Julian Meagher, who was selected as a 2015 Archibald finalist for his Daniel Johns portrait. 

Visit NAVA to book. 

May 8, 2017

JULIAN MEAGHER FINALIST IN THE SUNSHINE COAST ART PRIZE

The Sunshine Coast Art Prize is a national contemporary acquisitive award presented by Sunshine Coast Council. The Award is open to any artist who is an Australian resident, working in a 2D medium.

Forty finalists have been selected for an exhibition at the Caloundra Regional Gallery and the winning work will be added to the Sunshine Coast Art Collection.

Angela Goddard is the judge for the Sunshine Coast Prize 2017. Angela is the Director of Griffith Artworks, responsible for the Griffith University Art Collection and the Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane. Angela was previously the Curator of Australian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery I Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). Winners announced 31 August.

Image: Julian Meagher | The Ashes Fall - The Wine Spills | 2016 | oil on linen | 152 x 122 cm

Read more Here.

December 7, 2016

JULIAN MEAGHER, BEGA VALLEY REGIONAL GALLERY RESIDENCY

Museums & Galleries of New South Wales is delighted to announce five residencies have been awarded through the Artist or Curator Residency Program for 2017. Generously supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, each residency of $11,250 will provide artists and curators the space and time to immerse themselves in a unique place, community or collection within a regional gallery, boosting their creative process.

Bega Valley Regional Gallery, New South Wales

In partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Services, Bega Valley Regional Gallery will host contemporary painter Julian Meagher on a month long residency within the south east NSW region. Over the month long residency Julian will deliver three workshops and one masterclass.

Read more here

May 31, 2016

Julian Meagher Finalist, Shirley Hannan Bega Portrait Prize

Julian Meagher has been selected as a finalist for the Shirley Hannan Bega Portrait Prize at the Bega Valley Regional Gallery. The prize is a $50,000 non-acquisitive award for realistic portraiture. The winner will be announced by the judge Dr. Christopher Chapman, Senior Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, Friday 17 June.

View Julian’s available works here.

April 6, 2016

Julian Meagher Gold Award Finalist, ROCKHAMPTON ART GALLERY

Congratulations to Julian Meagher who has been selected as a finalist in the 2016 Gold Award at Rockhampton Art Gallery. The Gold Award is a national invitation painting award with an acquisitive cash prize of $50,000 made possible through a generous bequest from the Estate of Moya Gold. The winning artist will be announced by Chris Saines, Director Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. 

The exhibition is current from 23 July – 4 September 2016.

November 7, 2015

Sarah Werkmeister on Julian Meagher for Art Guide

Featured in the November issue of Art Guide Australia, Sarah Werkmeister writes of Julian's current show,

"It’s fair to say that Australia has a rocky history. Julian Meagher’s new exhibition, Alone in the Sun, interrogates the scars left behind, in both the national consciousness and in the landscape itself, with a deft poeticism...

Meagher’s trademark bottles and flora feature in the show as well, making reference not only to the artefact – he worked with a scuba diver to source bottles from Sydney Harbour and scoured op shops too – but also to the need to drink to deal with hardship. Instead of imbuing the typical Australian masculinity onto notions of drinking, the delicacy and translucency of the paint allude to the passing of time through an object, speaking to an understanding of human nature and the way it influences our psychic environment.

Meagher seems to suggest that we’re all implicated in Australia’s scars and that the only way to move forward is to start by looking back."

Read the full article here.

October 7, 2015

Julian Meagher's portrait of Johnathan Thurston

Julian Meagher's portrait of superstar National Rugby League player Johnathan Thurston is on the cover of the October issue for Rugby League Player Magazine.  Meagher was a finalist in the 2015 Archibald Prize with his portrait of Daniel Johns. The Thurston portrait is part of a suite of works from the 'Code' series which shines a light on the vulnerability of some of Australia's biggest football heroes, dramatising the precarious fragility in each man’s isolated facial expression.

Julian Meagher's solo exhibition 'Alone in the Sun' is on from 3 - 27 November 2015.

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October 6, 2015

Julian Meagher FINALIST in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize

We are pleased to announce that Julian is a semi-finalist with his portrait Paul Ryan for the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. Julian was also a finalist with his work Floating In A Darkened Sky for the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (EMSLA) at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.

Julian will be exhibiting new works for Alone in the Sun at Edwina Corlette Gallery, November 3 - 21, 2015. This series of new work further investigates how our past inhabits our present. 'As I have grown older I have become interested in the concept of both collective and personal notions of inherited history,' he says.

July 18, 2015

Julian Meagher, sensitive masculinity

Originally posted on CULTURAL FLANERIE:

In one of life’s more curious turns, I ended up owning a cocktail bar about six years ago. Me, the chick with no hospitality experience, who’d never waited tables, never pulled a beer and didn’t knowthe difference between an ale and a lager, was suddenly having to work out how to change a beer keg and what the hell people meant when they asked for a “CC and dry.” To say it was a steep learning curve is an understatement. It was a world away from my previous life in writing and interior design.But the patrons and Isurvived the rocky start and now its almost second nature to me. I’ve even won awards for my espresso martinis – go figure!

Howeverowning a bar, even now that I’m rarely actually the one serving drinks, is something that has never sat easily with me. On a daily basis I rely on the…

View original 635 more words

December 19, 2014

Julian Meagher + Belvoir St Theatre 2015 Catalogue

Julian Meagher has been commissioned by Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney to bring the Company’s actors to life with a suite of drawings for their 2015 catalogue. Belvoir’s position as one of Australia’s most innovative and acclaimed theatre companies has been determined by such landmark productions as The Wild Duck, The Diary of a Madman, The Blind Giant is Dancing, The Book of Everything, Cloudstreet, Measure for Measure, Keating!, Parramatta Girls, Exit the King, The Alchemist, Hamlet, Waiting for Godot, The Sapphires, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Stuff Happens and Medea.

December 19, 2014

Julian Meagher – 2014 Archibald Prize Finalist at the Art Gallery of New South Wales

When Julian Meagher first met John Waters ‘He was rehearsing Looking Through A Glass Onion with Stewart, my girlfriend’s father, in his lounge room. They were making a lot of noise, laughing and playing Norwegian Wood. It was great to meet the man I had watched on Play School, now far removed from Big Ted’.

John Waters is an English film, theatre and television actor best known in Australia, which he’s called home since 1968.  Meagher says ‘I wanted to paint John in a puffy shirt, both as a nod to his theatrical profession and to re-imagine him as a kind of colonial character. ‘He has such a strong face, which really suited my painting style. It was my hope to capture a complex expression. Rather than looking back at the viewer, he is engaged with something outside our understanding’.

Born in Sydney in 1978, Meagher left work as a medical doctor nine years ago to paint full time and has exhibited regularly since then both locally and internationally. He studied the Atelier method in Florence, Italy. He has been a finalist five times in the Salon Des Refuses. He was a finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize in 2009 and 2012, as well as in the Metro Art Prize and Blake Prize for Religious Art.

JULIAN MEAGHER 'SLEEPWALKING' 2020 EXHIBITION WALKTHROUGH
Julian Meagher 'Sleepwalking' 2020 - In conversation with Sebastian Goldspink
IN THE STUDIO — JULIAN MEAGHER