Margaret Hannah Olley (1923–2011) occupies a paramount position in the cultural and artistic heritage of Australia. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Olley established herself as the nation’s preeminent painter of still life and domestic interiors, capturing the imagination of both the public and the critical establishment. Yet, to categorise Olley solely by her artistic output is to fundamentally understate her influence. She was a towering figure in the post-war Australian art scene, an unparalleled philanthropist who enriched the country’s public institutions with world-class masterpieces, and a legendary muse who anchored the works of Australia’s finest portraitists across multiple generations.

The history of art contains few figures as restless, prolific, and globally influential as Katsushika Hokusai. Born in 1760 in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Japan, Hokusai emerged as a towering figure of the Edo period, mastering the ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) genre and eventually pushing it beyond its traditional boundaries to capture the majesty of the Japanese landscape, the daily lives of commoners, and the intricate details of the natural world. While his contemporaries focused on the ephemeral pleasures of kabuki actors and courtesans, Hokusai turned his gaze outward, revolutionising the medium and ensuring its global relevance.