Larry Pickering (born 18 October 1942) is an Australian political cartoonist, caricaturist and illustrator of books and calendars.
He started his cartooning career at The Canberra Times newspaper in the late 1960s, originally working as a proof reader. During this time he decided to become the capital city newspaper's first editorial cartoonist, practising his craft at home each night for a year, until he felt confident the cartoons were good enough to be seen publicly. At this point he knew the editor would need to see the cartoons in order for them to published. Always a lateral thinker, Pickering posted the cartoons in the men's room urinal each day where he knew he would have the editor's undivided attention for at least a minute or two a day. The cartoons became quite a phenomenon in the office, where staff, including women, regularly visited the men's room to be entertained, humoured or outraged.
Blessed with an assortment of colourful Australian political characters—John Gorton, Billy McMahon, Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, Jim Cairns and Rex Connor—Pickering was in the right place at the right time in the nation's political heartland. Pickering's cartoons became a "must read" in the nation's capital. His work also appeared weekly in the National Times.
Due to his large following he was invited by the Liberal Party of Australia to stand as its Federal election candidate for the seat of Fraser in the 1974 federal election. He narrowly lost, but discovered a nasty world of political dirty tricks, with the brake lines cut on his car, he was spat at, and kicked on the streets.
In 1975 he left Canberra for Sydney and The Sydney Morning Herald, in time for the downfall of the Gough Whitlam Labor government, which he beautifully portrayed in his Outhouse series.
In 1976 he was made an offer by Australian newspaper owner Rupert Murdoch to join The Australian. During this period, Pickering drew his hugely popular Jungle Series and found his entrepreneurial wings, publishing a number of books and his notorious and popular calendars of Australian politicians and celebrities nude, with their genitals depicting the subjects' personality or character.
He retired at the height of his fame in late 1980 to grow tomatoes and later to train race horses, one of his life-long passions.
He also owned a publishing group, including a racing magazine, which he later sold to Kerry Packer. However, his disillusionment with the racing game and his non-conformist approach with the racing establishment saw him wind down his involvement in the industry and move to Gold Coast, Queensland. He is semi-retired, playing golf, and occasionally flying helicopters.
Occasionally dabbling in art and cartoons on a rare whim, in June 2008 a limited edition collection of wine was launched featuring Pickering's caricatures on the labels. The cases of 6 bottles were limited to a production of just 150, each numbered. The wine was launched by the speaker of the Queensland Parliament in Brisbane in the Lucinda Bar. The caricatures and the originals, donated by Pickering, are on display in the bar.
On 28 August 2011, The Sydney Sun Herald announced, 'Things must be absurd: Pickering's back', with an article reporting Pickering had started cartooning again, inspired by 'the lunacy of Australian poltics'. "I've got itchy fingers," he said. "I thought nothing could be more absurd than Canberra in the '70s, then I wake up and here it is. It's such fertile material, it's hard to stay away from it."
Pickering is credited with breaking the mould for a generation of modern cartoonists with his influence seen in varying degrees in the approaches of most major Australian cartoonists who followed him, including Geoff Pryor (who followed Pickering at the Canberra Times), Bill Mitchell (replaced Pickering at The Australian newspaper), Bill Leak (currently cartoonist at The Australian), Alan Moir, Mark Knight, Paul Zanetti, Peter Nicholson, Sean Leahy, among others.