26 March – 14 April 2015
about the exhibition
Jan Brown is a most distinguished Canberra artist who has always been inspired by living creatures. This exhibition features drawings, prints and a small selection of sculpture from the artist’s collection dating from the mid 1960s onwards.Jan explores animal and bird forms creating both sculptural and two dimensional works which convey a great affection for her subjects, these very often beingmagpies, currawongs and ravens. She begins her artistic process with sketches, often drawing inspiration from wildlife seen from her kitchen window through to animals in zoos around the world. Jan has an ability to imbue her subject with its own unique personality while stamping it with her strong aesthetic identity. Her work is “incidental to a lifetime journey: seeing, learning, knowing, making.” Jan Brown has two important bronze public art installations in Canberra: the kangaroos situated by the Nerang pool, Commonwealth Park (1981), and the ‘Icarus’ group of sculptures in Petrie Plaza, Civic (2009).
Jan Brown was born in Sydney in 1922. In 1949, she received her National Diploma in Design (Sculpture) from the Chelsea Polytechnic School of Art in London, where she studied under Henry Moore. From 1957 to 2001 she was a lecturer at the Canberra School of Art and, since 1997, a Visiting Fellow at the ANU Institute of the Arts. Jan’s work is exhibited both nationally and internationally and, over the years, she has been an inspirational teacher and mentor to countless professional and amateur artists. Jan has also been an arts activist and served on numerous arts advisory councils and arts boards in Canberra. She is a Member of the Order of Australia and an Emeritus Fellow of the Australia Council. Jan’s work is represented in the collections ofthe National Gallery of Australia, Australian National University, Artbank,Parliament House, Canberra Museum & Gallery and National Library of Australia.
