William Robinson AO, the acclaimed Australian landscape painter and two-time winner of the Archibald Prize, has died aged 89. The Brisbane-born artist passed away peacefully in Brisbane on Tuesday evening after a brief illness, surrounded by his family.
Robinson won his first Archibald Prize in 1987 with a self-mocking portrait of himself on a horse, titled 'Equestrian self-portrait'. He won the prize a second time in 1995 for 'Self-portrait with stunned mullet', depicting himself in wet weather gear holding two fish. He also won the Wynne Prize for landscape painting twice, known for his lush depictions of the rainforests of south-east Queensland.
Born in Brisbane in 1936, Robinson considered becoming a concert pianist before marrying at 22 and embarking on a teaching career to support his family. In the 1970s, he moved with his wife Shirley and their six children to a rural property, raising cows, goats and chickens, before retreating to the Gold Coast hinterland. He retired from teaching in 1989 to become a full-time artist.
Robinson was remembered as a modest man of faith, family and the Australian wilderness. He was awarded honorary doctorates by three Queensland universities and appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007. The William Robinson Gallery opened at Old Government House in Brisbane in 2009.
