STUDIES
1950 - 56 Julian Ashton school (under John Passmore), attended Desiderius Orban School, Sydney .
1978 -81 Trustee, A.G.N.S.W. Founding member of Contemporary Art society, N.S.W. and Victoria Street & Sydney Nine Artists' groups .
AWARDS
1960 Rockdale Prize
1961 H. C. Richards Memorial Prize, (Journey into you Beaut Country No 11 painting ) . Q.A.G.: Perth prize .
1962 Royal Sydney Show Prize
1963 Georges Art Prize, Melbourne
1964 Launceston Prize Tasmania
1969/85 Wynne Landscape Prde, A.G.N.S.W.
1977 Order of the British Empire ( O.B.E. ) for services to the arts.
COMMISSIONS
1965 Ceiling Painting . London
1973 Mural, Sydney Opera House, Dobell Foundation, Sydney; Ceramic Mural U.G. The University of Melbourne.
1981 Paintings; State Theatre Foyer. Victorian Art Centre Trust.
1988 Mural ( painted ) Darling Harbour Project Sydney.

INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS ( Selected )
1958 John Olsen Macquarie Galleries
1959 Gallery Lambert. Paris
1960 Clune Gallery. Sydney
1963 Oils . Gouaches. & Drawings, Australian Galleries. Melbourne. Paintings , Gouaches & Drawings, Clune Gallery, Sydney .
1965 Tapestry. Ceiling Painting, oils and drawings. South Yarra Gallery. Melbourne. Clune Gallery Sydney. Showing of ceiling painting . London .
1967 Tapestries, paintings & drawings, Clune Gallery. Sydney
1968 Clune Gallery. Sydney
1969 Rudy Komon Gallery. Sydney
1971 Tapestries. Stone ceramics, ceramics mural paintings. Rudy Komon Gallery. Sydney.
1972 Ceramics. ( Robert Mair ) Decorated by John Olsen, oils and gouaches. Australian Galleries. Melbourne. Lidums Gallery. Adelaide
1973 Opera House Painting mural. Paintings, ceramics & lithographs. Rudy Komon Gallery. Sydney.
1974 Australian Galleries, Melbourne. Oils, gouaches & lithographs 1973 -1974 Adelaide. Wild Australia, (watercolours, lithographs & gouaches). Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney. The Edge of the Void (paintings, etchings, lithographs & drawings.) Australian Galleries, Melbourne.
1976 Oils, Watercolours & Etchings. Ray Hughes Gallery, Brisbane; Greenhill Gallery, Adelaide .
1977 Recent Painting, gouaches, etching & lithographs, Australian Galleries, Melbourne.
1978 John Olsen, Paintings & Drawings 1977-1978 Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney
1980 Oils and works on paper, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1981 My Complete Graphics, Impressions Gallery, South Yarra, Victoria. 2O Drawings and watercolours (Ivan Smith's 'A Sliver in time'-illustrations). Barry Stern Gallery. Sydney: Drawings and Graphics by John Olsen, Salamanca place Gallery, Tasmania.
1982 Oils, Drawings and Ceramic Graphics, Australian Galleries, Melbourne.
1984 Etchings , Tynte Gallery, Adelaide. Land Beyond Time; John Olsen paintings, drawings, works on canvas and hardboard , A.G.W.A. (Christendon Fund, WA touring exhibition)
1986 In Search of Open Country 1961 - 1986 (Retrospective ). Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne: John Olsen: Gold , A.G.N.S.W. : Australian Galleries.
1986 - 87 Land Beyond Time; John Olsen paintings, drawings, works on canvas and hardboard, (Christenson Fund touring exhibition including Q.A.G.: Wollongong City Gallery & Percy Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville).
1987 John Olsen, Encounters with Drawing, Wollongong City Art Gallery, N.S.W.
1988 John Olsen, Encounters with Drawing, Australian Galleries, Melbourne & Darling Harbour, Sydney.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS ( Selected )
1955 Two Exhibitions, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
1956 Direction 1; Macquarie Galleries, Sydney; Pacific Loans Exhibition, Auckland & San Francisco.
1961 Sydney 9, Nine, Gallery A, Melbourne; Recent Australian Art, Whitechapel Gallery, London; H.C, Richards Memorial prize, QA.G.
1963 Georges Invitation Prize, Melbourne.
1967 Australian Painters 1964-66 Corcoran Gallery, Washington U.SA
1976 The Child in us All, John Olsen: Tapestries and oils on hardboard. Peter Travis; Kites, Qld. Festival of Art; St. Johns Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane .
1977 Australian Contemporary Printmakers, Stadia Graphics Gallery, Sydney
1978 Australian Etching 1978 N.G.V.
1979 Focus '79 R.M.I.T.
1982 John Olsen 1981-82 & Noela Hjorth; Paintings, lithographs & drawings.
1982 Festival of Perth Exhibition, Bortignon's Gallery of Man, Perth; Aspects of the Landscape, Powell Street Gallery, Melbourne.
1986 Wynne Prize A.G.N.S.W.
1987 Jack Manton Art Prize QLD.