About the artist:

Alexander McKenzie was born in 1971 in Sydney, Australia, the son of Scottish migrants. He studied at the Julian Ashton Art School where in 1994 he won both the inaugural Brett Whiteley Scholarship to the school and the Brereton Memorial Prize for draughtsmanship from the Art Gallery of NSW. Alexander McKenzie is known for his evocative luminous landscape paintings which recall both the themes of Western symbolist painting and the techniques of the 15th Century Dutch Old Masters. Increasingly Alexander McKenzie’s paintings evoke a strong narrative content whilst retaining his preoccupation with the effects of light and atmosphere. In the 2007 catalogue essay for Halflight, Belinda Scerri wrote“McKenzie’s work is distinguished by its technical proficiency, inspired design and execution. His paintings exemplify virtuosic paint handling with sharply observed detail and dreamy sfumato….McKenzie considers art as a medium between the visible and the invisible. He eschews allegorism in favour of implied narrative. He allows the mood and season of his landscapes, and the objects within them, to speak to the viewer directly”. In Alexander McKenzie’s view of the landscape, spirituality is paramount. It is a place of contrasting emotions: you feel alive and, at the same time, aware of your own mortality. Alexander McKenzie has exhibited extensively with over 20 solo exhibitions in both Australia and the United Kingdom since 1996. He is a five time finalist in the Archibald Prize for portraiture at the Art Gallery of NSW, a seven time finalist in the Wynne Prize for Landscape painting and has been in numerous group exhibitions including the Blake Prize for Religious Art, The Gilchrist Fisher Award London, ART London, The British Art Fair, The Glasgow Art Fair, Dublin Art Fair and the Auckland Art Fair. Studies and Travel 2011 Kyoto Japan, New York USA 2007 Cumbria, UK 1995-2002 Studies and travel - England, Ireland, France, Scotland and Italy 1997 Charlie Sheard Studio School, Sydney 1996-1997 Study tour of Europe 1995 Residency, La Briche, Loire Valley, France 1994 Residency, Riversdale-Bundanon, Arthur Boyd Bequest, Nowra, NSW 1994 Inaugural Whiteley Scholarship, Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney 1991-93 Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney 1989 City Art Institue, Sydney Solo Exhibitions 2016 Guida del Giardino, Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney 2016 Katsura, Martin Brown Contemporary, Sydney 2015 Edo, Martin Brown Contemporary, Sydney 2014 Acarsaid, Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney 2013 The Cairn, Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney 2012 Arboretum, Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney 2011 The Lake Road, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2010 The Keep, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2009 Tending Trees, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2008 Lakeland, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2008 Winter, Axia Modern Art, Melbourne 2007 Half-Light, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2007 Inner Shore, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2005 New Paintings, Axia Modern Art, Melbourne 2005 Stepping Westward, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2004 New Paintings, King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney 2003 Hemisphere, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2002 New Paintings, King Street Gallery on Burton at Span, Melbourne 2002 New Paintings, King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney 2001 New Paintings, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2000 Scotland and Ireland, King Street Gallery on Burton 1998 King Street Gallery, Sydney 1998 Renard Wardell Gallery, Melbourne 1997 'Fish Works’, King Street Gallery, Sydney Selected Group Exhibitions 2016 Fleurieu Art Prize, Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide 2016 Percival Portrait Painting Prize, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville 2014 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2013 Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2012 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2012 Tatersalls Landscape Prize, Brisbane 2012 Moran Portrait Prize, Sydney 2011 Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2011 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2011 Auckland Art Fair, New Zealand, Martin Browne Fine Art 2011 Approach to the landscape, Axia Modern Art, Melbourne 2010 Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2010 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2010 Silent spaces, Maquarie University art Gallery 2009 Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2009 Blake Prize for Religious Art 2008 Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2008 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2008 New Works By Gallery Artists, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2008 ART 2008, 20th London Contemporart Art Fair 2008 Approach to the landscape, Axia Modern Art, Melbourne 2007 Summer Exhibition, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2007 Winter Catalogue, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2007 Dobell Prize for Drawing, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney 2007 ART 2007, 19th London Contemporart Art Fair 2007 Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2007 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2007 Glasgow Art Fair, Scotland, Rebecca Hossack Gallery 2006 Summer Exhibition, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney 2006 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2005 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2005 Mosman Art Prize, Sydney 2005 ART 2005, 17th London Contemporary Art Fair 2005 Miami Beach Art Fair, Miami USA 2005 'Artists' Artists' , Axia Modern Art, Melbourne 2004 ART 2004 - 16th London Contemporary Art Fair (Rebecca Hossack Gallery), London 2004 Miami Beach Art Fair, Miami, USA 2003 ART 2003- 15th London Contemporary Art Fair (Rebecca Hossack Gallery), London 2003 Miami Beach Art Fair, Miami, USA 2003 'An Approach to the Landscape' Axia Modern Art, Melbourne 2003 Tatersalls Landscape Prize, Brisbane 2002 ART 2002-14th London Contemporary Art Fair (Rebecca Hossack Gallery), London 2002 ART London, Chelsea (Rebecca Hossack Gallery), London 2001 Solomon Gallery, Dublin, Ireland 2001 ‘Bat, Ball and Brush, A Summer of Cricket and Art at the S.C.G,' Sydney 2001 ART 2001 13th London Contemporary Art Fair, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2001 Contemporary Benefactors Art Auction, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 2000 The Gilchrist Fisher Award, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2000 'Last Show of the Year,' King Street Gallery on Burton 2000 Christmas Exhibition, Solomon Gallery, Dublin 2000 ART 2000 -12th London Contemporary Art Fair, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2000 Melbourne Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 2000 'Southern Sydney Artists,' Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, NSW 1999 Christmas Exhibition, Soloman Gallery Dublin 1999 Last Show of The Year, King Street Gallery on Burton 1998 Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 1998 King Street Gallery, Sydney 1998 Youthworks Charity Auction, Park Hyatt, Sydney 1998 Conrad Jupiters Art Exhibition, Gold Coast QLD 1997-99 Alice Bale Scholarship, Caufield Arts Centre, Melbourne 1997-99 Tattersalls Landscape Travelling Scholarship, The Gunnery Art Space, Sydney 1997 King Street Gallery 1997 James Joyce Foundation, The Coach House Gallery, Sydney 1997 Casula Powerhouse, Casula NSW 1996/7 Fishers Ghost Exhibition, Campbelltown Bicentennial City Art Gallery NSW 1996 Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney 1995 12 Figurative Painters, Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney 1991-5 Julian Ashton Graduates Exhibition, Sydney Collections Australian War Memorial, Canberra Royal Bank of Scotland, Glasgow, Manchester Macquarie Bank, Australia Jackson Smith Solicitors, Sydney Park Hyatt, Melbourne Culwulla Chambers, Sydney Sutherland Shire Council, NSW Brown Rudnick Freed & Gesner PC, London Lowensteins, Sydney Maitland Regional Gallery Mudgee Regional Gallery Tweed Rivers Regional Gallery Mercy Health Care, Melbourne University of Queensland Art Museum Private collections in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Dublin, Zurich, London, Texas, Miami and Hong Kong Selected Bibliography 2015 Toby Fehily, Australian War Memorial Launches Redesigned Galleries, Art Guide, 20 February 2015 2015 Louise Martin-Chew, 50 Things Collectors Need to Know 2015, Art Collector, Issue 71, Jan-Mar 2015 2014 Karina Lobley, Alexander McKenzie's War Memorial mural depicts key battle, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 October 2014 2014 Tamara Gasser, Landscapes from Alexander McKenzie's mind's eye, Leader, 10 October 2014 2012 Craven Owen, Alexander McKenzie Arboretum, Art Almanac, May 2012, p.42-43 2011 Alexander McKenzie, Harper's Bazzar, May 2011, p.168 2011 Litson Jo, Archibald exudes energy, Sunday Telegraph, 10 April 2011 2011 McDonald John, comment, Sydney Morning Herald, 10 April 2011 2010 Allen Christopher, The Big Picture, Weekend Australian, 1 May 2010 P.11 2010 Galinovic Maria, Hat Trick May Point to Win, Leader 23 March 2010. P.3 2010 Arts Diary, Sydney Morning Herald, 1 October, p.13 2009 Litson Jo, Brushing Aside The Reccession, Sunday Telegraph, 22 November 2010, p.38 2009 Christopher Lissa, Open Gallery, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 November, p.14 2009 Gill Harbant, Alexander's Cool Art is Hot Property, Herald Sun, 22 June 2009, p.36 2009 Frost Andrew, Critics Choice, Australian Art Collector, Issue 21, p.200 2009, Lopez Annemarie, Always a Painter, Australian Art Review, Issue 21, p.64 2008 Stephens Andrew, A Great Deviding Strangeness, The Age, 19 April, p.17 2008 O'Brian Mark, Archibald In His Sights, Leader 4 March, p.3 2007 Stavely Brian: Scottish Enlightenment; the luminous landscape of Alexander McKenzie, 2007 Coast and Country, Volume 7, no 1, pg 1192005 Anderson, Patricia : Art and Australia,debates dollars and delusions, Pandora Press, pg 520 2005 In Melbourne : Red 19 Magazine, May-June 05, pg 21 2004 Sarks, E.: Memory and Observation, Lino Magazine Issue 6 pg.25 2004 Low Lenny Ann: All That Glimmers, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 August 2004 Galinovic: Maria, Art a Window on World, Leader , 29 July ,pg 34 2004 Departure points: Metro, Melbourne Age, 6 May 2003 McCullock, S.: Paths across the great divide, The Weekend Australian 27 September, pg.28 2003 Exhibition Dairy, The World of Interiors, London, September, pg.153 2003 Looking at Landscapes, The Lady London 7 October 2003 Evans, Holly: The Diary, The Melbourne Age 7 September, pg.2 2002 De Brito, Sam: From Garbo to Galleries, The Sunday Telegraph 18 August, pg.35 2002 Pearlman, J.: Spotlight, The Sydney Morning Herald 8 August 2000 Smee, Sebastian: The Loch Smith Exhibitions, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June, pg.24 2000 Gilchrist Fisher Award, Art Review Magazine, London, February 2000 Ingleby, Richard: The Gilchrist Fisher Award, The Independent, London, 15-21 January, pg.15 1998 Makin, Jeffrey: Alexander McKenzie, The Herald Sun, Melbourne, 16 November, pg.90 1997 Exhibition commentary: Self Portrait in a Group, Fishworks series, Art and Australia, 1997 Not for our eyes only, St George Sutherland Leader, December