(1922 – 2004)
1922 Born Samuel Sydney Fullbrook in Chippendale Sydney
1937 Works as a timber cutter in Gloucester, NSW
1940 Enlists with the Australian Infantry Forces
1941 Posted in Palestine but did not see active service
1943-45 Signs up for rifle training in Middle East and serves in Ramu Valley, New Guinea
During this time he discovers reading & painting through the Army Adult Education program
1946 Under the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Program, Fullbrook enrols in the National Gallery School of Victoria, Melbourne. Classmates include John Brack, Clifton Pugh and Fred Williams. Whilst working in Yarraville on the sugar wharf, he paints his first portrait
1947 Moves to West Melbourne. Begins selling his work through the Victorian Artists’ Society
1948 First joint exhibition at Tye’s Gallery with NGS classmate Tim Nicholl. In the same year Fullbrooks father dies and he returns to Sydney and converts his father’s shop into a studio
1950-51 To support his painting Fullbrook journeys to far North Queensland for the cane-cutting season
1951 Returns to Sydney. Sharks and ‘Bondi virgins’ make their first appearance in his work. Returns to Queensland later in the year. There he befriends James Wieneke of Moreton Gallery. He is also employed by Richard Morley, founder of the Blake Prize and discovers a talent for landscapes
1952 First solo exhibition, Waterside Workers’ Hall, Sydney. His second solo show is held in November at the Moreton Gallery, Brisbane
Receives honourable mention in the Archibald Prize for his portrait of Bernard Sahm
1953-54 Travels from Port Hedland to Adelaide and Fremantle, erects studio in Marble Bar. His time here and as a guest of McLeod’s Nor-West Mining and Development Cooperative inspires paintings including, The Butcher. During these next years he travels widely and works variously as a canecutter, stockman and miner
1960 Returns to Sydney and sets up Broadway Studio Sydney. Completes figurative paintings of Aboriginals, “Girl & Galah”, “Death in the Afternoon”
1961 Fullbrooks first work is included in an exhibition in California
1962 First near sell-out exhibition in Skinner Galleries Perth
1963 New phase in landscape painting is inspired by his trip to Cobar, Western NSW. Sandhills on the Darling wins the Wynne Prize
1964 Returns to Melbourne. A final trip to the Darling results in his significant Darling River Series. Murray Darling River studio -Wychooka “Murray Cod”. Again wins the Wynne Prize (shared with David Strachan)
1966 Decides to return to Brisbane permanently
Marries Janice-Eumundi. Buderim-Portrait Dr Behan
1967 The suicide of his wife Janice England. Cooroy Paintings
1968 Buderim. “Phoenix” series
1969 Collins St, Melbourne Studio portraits. Pencil drawings
1970 Buderim, “Estuarine”, “Nambucca Heads”, “Ernestine Hill” “Cane Fields from Mt Coolum”
1971 “The Mermaid as Bride”, “Girl with Possum”, “Poincianas”, “Old Man with Possum”
1972 Sold Buderim moved to East Brisbane, Racing themes, Flowerpieces, Landscapes
1973 Brisbane and Kin-Kin watercolours (background p2).
1977 Pittsworth, Frank Chianta portrait
1978 Portrait of Governor General, Sir John Kerr
1979-81 Circus pictures, “Brisbane River”, Portrait John Colwill, Pat Brown, Portrait Pat Murray, shearer series, “TheVisitation”, “Loaves and Fishes”
1982 Moves to property “Crosshill” Darling Downs, Koalas
1983 Marries Mary Jane, USA
1984-86 NY, Ohio, Commutes USA-Darling Downs, Portrait Jim Parkes, “Agony in the Garden”, “Empathy”
1987 Woollahra Sydney Studio, Portrait lan Joy, “Bondi Virgin”, “Marloo”, “Japanese Tourist”
1989 New York Exhibition
1990 Commuting Darling Downs, Sydney, Portrait Reg Grundy, Landscapes, Portrait Lily Tornkins
1992-5 Melbourne, St Kilda Studio, “Pink Still Life”
1948 Tyes Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
1951 Waterside Workers Rooms, Sydney (1st exhibition in a Union Building in Aust.)
1955 Adult Education Gallery, WA
1960 Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1961 Moreton Galleries, Brisbane
1961 Clune Gallery, Sydney
1961 Bonython Gallery, Adelaide
1961 Raymond Burr Galleries, California, USA
1962 Johnstone Gallery, Brisbane
1962 Clune Gallery, Sydney
1962 Moreton Galleries, Brisbane
1962 Skinner Gallery, Perth.
1962 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
1964 South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne
1965 Moreton Galleries, Brisbane
1966 Clune Gallery, Double Bay
1967 Moreton Galleries, Old
1968 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
1970-71 David Jones Gallery, NSW. Gallery III, Brisbane
1973 Grand Central Galleries, Brisbane
1976 Queensland Art Gallery Retrospective
1978 Rex lrwin, Sydney, NSW
1979 Bonython Gallery, Adelaide (SA); Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1980 Phillip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane
1982 Lister Gallery, Perth
1982-83 Rex lrwin, Sydney NSW
1983 Realties Gallery, Melbourne
1984 Phillip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane
1985 Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1986 Cooks Hill Gallery, Newcastle
1987 Gallery 52, Perth. Brisbane City Hall
1987 Queensland Art Gallery – Manton Prize
1989 112 Greene Street, Soho, New York. Phillip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane
1991 Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney
1992 Gold Coast City Art Gallery
1992-94 Art Galleries Schubert, Gold Coast “The Art of Pastel”, “Still Life”, “Birds Animals Landscape”
1994 Niagara, Melbourne
1995 National Gallery of Victoria, Retrospective
1995 Art Galleries Schubert, Gold Coast
1963 Wynne Prize
1964 Wynne Prize (shared with David Strachan)
1966 David Jones Art Prize
1967 H C Richards Memorial Prize for Painting, Townsville Prize
1969 H C Richards Memorial Prize for Painting, L J Harvey Memorial Prize for Drawing
1970 Wholohan Prize
1974 Archibald Prize
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
All State Galleries
Parliament House, Canberra (7 works)
NT Museum of Arts & Sciences, Darwin
Museum of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Qld
Brisbane City Hall Art Gallery & Museum, Qld
Rockhampton City Art Gallery, Qld
Toowoomba Art Gallery, Qld,
Stanthorpe Art Gallery, Qld
Wagga Wagga City Art Gallery, NSW
Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston
Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart
Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Qld.
Mornington Peninsula Arts Centre, Vic
Bendigo Art Gallery, Vic. Horsham Art Gallery, Vic
Spencer & Gillen Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
University Collections including Queensland, Melbourne, SA, WA, Curtin,
QUT, LaTrobe, Townsville, Monash, Deakin
The Brisbane Club, Queensland
Mertz Collection, USA, Art Museum Phoenix, USA
Commercial and private collections Australia, USA, Canada, China, Japan, UK, NZ, Europe & Malaysia
Receive e-mail updates on our exhibitions, events and more
Subscribe Now
