Australian Biography: Albert Tucker

1994, 27 Minutes. Classification: PG. Consumer Advice: Adult themes.

Albert Tucker was one of Australia’s most influential artists. Born in Melbourne in 1914, he worked as a house painter, commercial illustrator, cartoonist and professional artist.

Influenced by the poetry of T.S. Eliot, surrealism and German Expressionism, Tucker explored the human condition through his art. In 1947 he travelled to Japan where he saw the devastation of Hiroshima - an experience that would have a profound effect on his work.  

Tucker spent 13 years in Europe. His international career finally took off when the Guggenheim Museum purchased some of his work and the Museum of Modern Art in New York mounted an exhibition.

During the 1960s he began to enjoy considerable popularity at home. All major Australian galleries acquired his work and in 1990 a retrospective of his paintings drew over 90,000 visitors.

A Film Australia National Interest Program. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

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