Unfinished works reveal the process behind Margaret Olley’s art

A new exhibition titled In the Making: the art of Margaret Olley has opened at the Tweed Regional Gallery, bringing together works at various stages of completion to reveal how Olley developed her compositions across a long and distinguished career.

The exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the creative process of one of Australia’s most celebrated painters.

At the centre of the exhibition is a collection of unfinished paintings, gifted to the gallery by the Margaret Olley Art Trust in 2024.

These works, left in-progress, are being shown publicly for the first time, provide insight into Olley’s approach to painting and highlight her enduring focus on colour, light and form.

Rather than presenting only resolved pieces, the exhibition offers a more intimate understanding of Olley’s practice — capturing moments of experimentation, revision and movement between works.

Many of the works on display in this exhibition were once spread throughout her Paddington home at 48 Duxford Street which she purchased in 1964, and would later convert into her primary residence and studio.

Known for working across multiple paintings at once, she would move through the space following the light, adjusting compositions and adding layers of colour.

“Olley’s sprawling home studio contained endless possibilities,” gallery director Ingrid Hedgcock said.

“Through these works we bear witness to her continuing influence as one of Australia’s most significant painters of still life and interiors.”

The exhibition spans the breadth of Olley’s career.

Among the earliest works is Eileen Kramer – an East Sydney Technical College life model 1944, created during her student years at what is now the National Art School, a period marked by formal training and the development of lasting artistic relationships.

The exhibition also includes some of Olley’s final paintings — quiet Sydney Harbour scenes created from a Circular Quay balcony in her later years.

With materials close at hand, these works reflect a lifelong connection to the city that shaped her career.

Together, the collection offers a portrait of an artist constantly at work, providing new insight into both her process and legacy.

In the Making: the art of Margaret Olley runs from 20 March to 6 September 2026 at the Margaret Olley Art Centre, Tweed Regional Gallery.