Ann Thomson

Born Brisbane, Australia

Lives & Works Sydney (Eora)

Ann Thomson is one of Australia’s most eminent contemporary painters. She is widely known for her vibrant, expressive compositions and was once described by the late Edmund Capon as “one of the most interesting and intuitive artists in Australia today”.

Thomson’s works oscillate between abstraction and figuration. Her paintings are not intended to replicate a scene or a particular landscape, but rather evoke a sense of place.

“To paint a specific subject is just not my way of working. I have to be more open. It’s like opening another door that is to do with trust, it’s to do with memory, and having the knowledge that when you start painting the creative process begins. Too much thinking about it gets in the way.”

Since graduating from the National Art School in 1962 she has had countless exhibitions throughout Australia and overseas. She has been the recipient of a number of prizes and awards including the Wynne Prize, Sydney Morning Herald Art Prize, Kedumba Drawing Prize and Geelong Contemporary Art Prize.

Her work is included in many significant private and public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW, Queensland Art Gallery, Newcastle Regional Art Gallery, Macquarie Bank Collection, the Tyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Madrid and Villa Haiss Museum, Germany.

In 2015 she was honoured with a Fellowship by the National Art School, Sydney, which was followed with a survey of her work. In 2024, an extensive survey exhibition, curated by Terence Maloon, was presented at S.H. Ervin Gallery in 2024 and Orange Regional Gallery in 2025.