Wall Of Tools (A Collection)

"Wall of tools" (A Collection) from Colin Lanceley's studio.

Australian artist Colin Lanceley AO (1938 - 2015) was a painter, sculptor and printmaker. He studied at the National Art School from 1956 to 1960, graduating with a Diploma in Art. Lanceley was deeply committed to the School throughout his life and believed it to be the most important art school in the country. He stated "I loved being a student at the National Art School. It was the opening of my life, really, because I was learning what I wanted to learn in a milieu that was created by a whole lot of artists.

Lanceley was actively involved in the fight to keep the National Art School independent. He had a passionate belief in the School's studio traditions and was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Board in 1998.

This wall is a collection of tool and found objects that Lanceley had installed in his Surry Hills studio. It reflects the artist's fascination with the remnants of past lives. He delighted in finding objects such as disused agricultural implements, and would attach them to his paintings to give them an added dimension.

Colin Lanceley was awarded an Order Of Australia in 1990 and received an Australia Council Creative Arts Fellowship in 1991. He was also the recipient of the inaugural National Art School Fellowship in 2002.

This installation was donated to the National Art School Archives by the Lanceley family in 2015.