Trevor Nickolls was born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1949. He gained a Diploma of Fine Art (Painting) from the South Australian School of Art in 1972. In 1978 he undertook a diploma in education which enabled him to work as a school art teacher. In 1979, when undertaking postgraduate studies at the Victorian College of the Arts he met the Papunya artist Dinny Nolan. He later described this as a turning point in his art, and in his life as Nolan mentored him in gaining an understanding of the directions his art could take.
The following year, after graduating with a postgraduate diploma of painting, he was appointed an education officer. This meant that he was able to travel through the Northern Territory, meeting artists and coming to see how modern the ancient techniques could appear to be.
His own art changed to incorporate his new understanding of a changing tradition of Aboriginal art.
In the 1980s he lived in both Sydney and Melbourne, and began to paint the awkward duality of Aboriginal perception
Nickolls began exhibiting in 1971 and has work in the public collections of many institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Along with Rover Thomas, Nickolls was the first Aboriginal artist to be represented in the Venice Biennale in 1990.
- Writers:
- Allas, Tess
- Date written:
- 2011
- Last updated:
- 2013
