#35 Ken Done

BMW Artcar

Ken was born on June 29, 1940 in Sydney Australia. At the age of 14 Ken left school to attend The National Art School of East Sydney. After studying art for five years he started a highly successful career as an art director and designer in New York, London and Sydney. In 1980 Ken Done has his first solo exhibit in Sydney. Since his first solo exhibit he has had over 50 one man shows including major exhibits in Australia, Europe, Japan, and the USA. Ken's work has been described as the most original style to come out of Australia and his paintings are in collections all throughout the world. Ken has had a very diverse career so far. He has done many paintings throughout his career such as the BMW Artcar, and the total decorative scheme for the Garden Restaurant at the Powerhouse Museum, in Sydney Australia. In 1994 a major retrospective "Ken Done: The Art of Design" was mounted by the Powerhouse. In 1996 Ken Done's first European exhibition was held in Paris with great acclaim. In 2000 and 2001 collections of Ken's original work were successfully debuted in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and two sold out shows were also held in London. Ken Done has had original work featured on the cover of a Japanese magazine called Hanako for over 10 years. In recent times Done has also been involved in the movement to create a new Australian Flag. In 1999 Done was asked to create a series of work for the Opening and Closing ceremonies at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games. Ken's paintings have been the creative source of a very unique and successful business called "Done Art and Design". There are many "Done" stores throughout Australia which continue to help develop, expand and promote Australian art and design to world wide audiences. Throughout the years Ken has worked extensively for many charitable organizations but the welfare of underprivileged children has always been a special concern for Ken. After being named father of the year in 1989, Ken now holds an honorary position of Australian Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. In 1992 Ken received the Order of Australia for services to Art, Design and Tourism. In many parts of the world Ken Done has come to symbolize Australia and Australians: creative, optimistic, and bold.







http://www.kendone.com.au/about/