About Arthur

Arthur Russell

1927-2009

An everlasting legacy

Born in Wickepin in the wheatbelt of Western Australia in 1927, Arthur realised early in his life that art and teaching were his vocation. He completed teacher training in 1951 and graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He went on to obtain a Diploma in Painting and Drawing from East Sydney technical Collage in 1959.

Arthur was a dedicated teacher and mentor for over 30 years, and his legacy lives on in the memories and works of the many young artists he taught and influenced over his long life – Jeremy Kirwan-Ward, Robert Cook, Barbara Bolt, Lucas Ihlein, Jane Martin, to name just a few. His teaching positions were as varied as his artwork and included a decade in Papua New Guinea, a stint as Senior Education Officer at the Art Gallery of WA (1979-1984), and lecturing at UWA, Curtin and Edith Cowan universities.

In addition to teaching and travelling widely, Arthur pursued his own art in his spare time and held numerous joint and solo exhibitions in Perth and Fremantle, including the 1991 University of WA, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, solo exhibition: In Retrospective. His disciplined approach to composition and the depiction of light and form, during an art career that spanned almost 6 decades, led to a prolific variety of vibrant paintings and drawings which adorn the walls of major institutions and collections, as well as the homes of his vast cohort of fans.

Arthur received multiple awards for his contribution to the arts including a ‘Centenary Medal’ in 2003 for his long service to Art and Teaching.

Now, thanks to the generosity of his daughter, Kate Russell, the general public can now, once again enjoy the talent of one of Western Australia’s greatest artists.