Sidney Nolan was an Australian artist best known for his paintings of the outlaw Ned Kelly, the subject of a series of works that established Nolan's reputation in the 1940s. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Nolan showed an early talent for drawing and was encouraged by his mother to pursue art. In 1938, he moved to Sydney and began studying at the Julian Ashton Art School. During World War II, Nolan served in the Australian army and was stationed in Papua New Guinea, where he began to paint the landscape and the native people. After the war, he returned to Melbourne and began working on the Ned Kelly series, which depicted the life of the famous Australian outlaw in a modernist style. These paintings brought him international recognition and cemented his place as one of Australia's leading artists. In the 1950s, Nolan moved to London, where he continued to paint and became associated with the avant-garde art scene. He also began to experiment with different media, including sculpture, theatre design, and film. In the 1960s, he spent several years in Europe, traveling and exhibiting his work. Nolan's work is characterized by a distinctive style that combines abstraction with representation. His use of bold colours, simplified forms, and flattened perspectives created a unique visual language that was influential to a generation of Australian artists. Nolan received many awards and honors during his lifetime, including the Order of Merit in 1983, one of the highest honors given to an Australian citizen. Today, his work is held in collections around the world, including the Tate Gallery in London and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.