Description

Extended Data

DAAO URL

https://www.daao.org.au/bio/des-obrien

Birth Place

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Biography

Des O’Brien was born in Sydney in 1930 and studied at the National Art School, Darlinghurst, and, later, with Godfrey Miller who taught him figure drawing. He is a respected editorial and institutional illustrator, designer, author and painter. However, his personal art, which includes genre scenes, geometric abstracts, still life, portraits, figure paintings and drawings, has seldom been exhibited and unlike his applied art is unknown to the public. He makes no distinction between his fine and applied art, believing each is more accurately characterised as a continuous development. Some noted clients of O’Brien’s include John Fairfax, Associated Newspapers, OTC, Australia Post, Australian Wool Bureau, the Herald and Weekly Times, Reader’s Digest, Commonwealth Bank, and Qantas. He has also created advertising work for many corporations. O’Brien is a recipient of a Bronze Medal from the Arts Festival of the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games. He is also the author, designer and illustrator of the children’s picture book, The Frog and the Pelican, awarded a Bronze Medal from Leipzig in 1983 and the Australian Book Publishers Design Award. He was inducted into the Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1995. Since that time he has worked almost exclusively on his personal art and has produced limited edition artists books of his work. His work is illustrated in The Arts in Australia Series, _Commercial Art _written by R. Haughton James, Longmans, Green and Co., 1963. Writers: samobrien duggim Date written: 2014 Last updated: 2014

Born

b. 1930

Summary

Des O'Brien is an Australian illustrator, graphic designer, painter and author. He trained at the National Art School, later joining Associated Newspapers. He formed a studio, O'Brien & Horrex, with his artist wife Jackie Horrex after 1955. He worked for publishers, advertising agencies and Australia Post.

Gender

Male

Died

1-Jan-14

Age at death

84