Hans Heysen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Hans Heysen (October 8, 1877–July 2, 1968) was a well-known Australian artist. He was particularly recognised for his watercolours of the Australian bush. He won the Wynne Prize for landscape painting a record nine times.

Wilhelm Ernst Hans Franz Heysen was born in Hamburg, Germany. He migrated to Adelaide in South Australia with his family in 1884 at the age of 6. As a young boy Heysen showed an early interest in art. At 14 he left school to work with a hardware merchant, later studying art during nights at Art School in his spare time.

In 1912 Hans Heysen had earned enough from his art to purchase a property called "The Cedars" near Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills, which remained as his home until his death in 1968 aged 90.

The Heysen Trail was named after Sir Hans Heysen.

His daughter Nora Heysen was also a successful artist.

[edit] Wynne Prize

Heysen won the Wynne Prize nine times. His winning works were:

• 1904 - Mystic Morn
• 1909 - Summer (watercolour)
• 1911 - Hauling Timber
• 1920 - Toilers (watercolour)
• 1922 - The Quarry (watercolour)
• 1924 - Afternoon in Autumn (watercolour)
• 1926 - Farmyard, Frosty Morning
• 1931 - Red Gums of the Far North (watercolour)
• 1932 - Brachina Gorge