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Donald Friend (1915-89)
The Piazza Portafino, Italy 1950
watercolour, pen and ink
From the Manuscript Collection, MS 5959

This image comes from one of the 44 illustrated diaries by artist and writer Donald Friend held in the Manuscript Collection. Friend travelled widely. After studying at the Westminster School London, he worked in Nigeria for two years, spending some of his time acting as an adviser to a local prince. Returning to Australia, he established a reputation as one of the new generation of Sydney painters.

Friend wrote two illustrated books while serving as an artillery gunner in Borneo and Morari during the Second World War. These further enhanced his reputation for versatility and wit, as did the grant of two important national prizes. Friend travelled again; to Ischia, the Torres Strait Islands, Columbo and Ceylon. He settled in Bali in 1967 but continued to send work back to Australia where it was regularly exhibited. (Source: Encyclopedia of Australian Art. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1994)

 

June 1997 Volume VII Number 9

ART THAT MOVES

Anne Wills ford reports on the development of the National Library's travelling exhibitions program and the behind-the-scenes challenges faced by its staff

NO HOLDS BARRED

Although they are often ignored by proponents of 'high culture', Barry York discovers that the legendary feats of professional wresrling stars such as Big Chief Little Wolf, 'Killer' Kowalski and 'Strangler' Ed Lewis are recorded for posterity in the collections of the National Library

A FACE IN THE CROWD

Curating the National Portrait Gallery's latest exhibition, author and artist Robin Wallace-Crabbe aimed to create a composite portrait of Australians

FAMILY HISTORY AND BEYOND

The lot of the family history researcher can be both rewarding and frustrating. Historian Patricia Clarke shares her experiences

VIEW FROM ABOVE

Penelope Layland spoke to the National Library's Map Curator, Maura O'Connor, about the Library's collection of aerial photography

FRIENDS

A regular news page about the activities of the Friends of the National Library of Australia

NLA PRODUCTS

The National Library has produced Australian Memories, a set of eight greeting cards featuring full-colour reproductions of works from the Pictorial Collection

Download Cover to Cover (2.33Mb)

 

 

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