On public display for the first time in Australia, Sidney Nolan’s Soldier on the Beach (1962) is a major new acquisition for Bendigo Art Gallery. 

Sidney Nolan (1917–1992) is one of Australia’s most significant and internationally recognised modernist artists, known for his explorations of Australian history, mythology, and identity, in urgently painted works with an enduring emotional resonance. This is the first major work by the artist to enter the collection of Bendigo Art Gallery. 

Extraordinarily prolific, Nolan produced extensive series exploring Australian national heroes and anti-heroes, including the fugitive bushranger Ned Kelly, and the fated explorers Burke and Wills. Soldiers frequently featured in his art throughout his life. In the mid-1950s, Sidney Nolan visited the Gallipoli Peninsula and conceived of his Gallipoli series, drawing also on his firsthand experiences of wartime tragedy. Soldier on the Beach is one of the largest and final works Nolan produced on the theme. It was kept by the artist in his personal collection until his death. 

In this monumental painting, urgent questions of national importance coalesce with universal and timeless themes of conflict and war; memory and memorialisation; sacrifice and grief; land and sovereignty; and human morality.

Listen to a recording of the artwork label and a brief description of the work by Bendigo Art Gallery curator Emma Busowsky.

The purchase of Soldier on the Beach has been made possible with the generous support of the Australian Federal Government’s National Cultural Heritage Account. This support has ensured this important piece of Australian art history is available for public enjoyment and scholarship for years to come.

Sidney Nolan
Soldier on the Beach (1962)
synthetic polymer paint on composition board
Purchased with the support of the Australian Government through the National Cultural Heritage Account, 2025
Bendigo Art Gallery Collection