# Ron Robertson-Swann

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Australian sculptor (born 1941)

Ron Robertson-Swann OAM Born Ronald Charles Robertson-Swann (1941-02-20) 20 February 1941 (age 85) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Education Saint Martin's School of Art, London Known for Sculpture Notable work Vault – Melbourne (1980) Leviathan Play – Brisbane (1985) Awards Order of Australia Medal (OAM)

**Ronald Charles Robertson-Swann** (born 20 February 1941)[1] is an Australian sculptor, best known for his controversial abstract public sculpture *[Vault](/source/Vault_(sculpture))* (1980), located in [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne). He is also known for the sculpture *[Leviathan Play](/source/List_of_public_art_in_Brisbane)* (1985), located in [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane).[2][3][4]

## Art career

*[Vault](/source/Vault_(sculpture))* has been described as being in the [Anthony Caro](/source/Anthony_Caro) style,[5] which he adopted after studying at [Saint Martin's School of Art](/source/Saint_Martin's_School_of_Art), London, in the 1960s. He studied under Lyndon Dadswell and was an assistant to [Henry Moore](/source/Henry_Moore).[6] He is Head of Sculpture at the [National Art School](/source/National_Art_School) and is the artistic adviser to the popular annual exhibition [Sculpture by the Sea](/source/Sculpture_by_the_Sea).[7] He was a founding member of the Visual Arts Board of the [Australia Council](/source/Australia_Council)[8] and has won numerous awards including the Comalco Invitational Sculpture Award, the Transfeld Prize and the Alice Prize.[8]

Graeme Sturgeon, the pre-eminent Australian sculpture historian and critic, described Robertson-Swann in 1980 as "the most consistent of the Classic [Formalist](/source/Formalism_(art)), that is, the one most concerned to produce a sculpture which, while obviously of its era, transcends considerations of style in search of a timeless sense of rightness."[6]

## Notable artworks

- [*Vault*](/source/Vault_(sculpture)) – [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne) (1980)

- [*Leviathan Play*](/source/List_of_public_art_in_Brisbane#Leviathan_Play) – [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane) (1985)

## Artwork gallery

		- *[Vault](/source/Vault_(sculpture)) –* [Melbourne](/source/Melbourne) (1980)

		- *[Leviathan Play](/source/List_of_public_art_in_Brisbane) –* [Brisbane](/source/Brisbane) (1985)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Ron Robertson-Swann"](https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/artists/robertson-swann-ron/). [Art Gallery of New South Wales](/source/Art_Gallery_of_New_South_Wales). Retrieved 10 May 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-OAM_2-0)** ["Mr Ronald Charles Robertson-Swann"](https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1132606). [Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet](/source/Department_of_the_Prime_Minister_and_Cabinet_(Australia)). Retrieved 10 May 2023 – via [Australian Government](/source/Australian_Government).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Attwood, Alan (19 June 2004). ["Peril in the Square: The Sculpture that Challenged a City"](http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/16/1087244973120.html). *The Age*. Retrieved 8 January 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Webb, Carolyn (3 October 2002). ["Melbourne's mellow peril"](http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/02/1033538671587.html). *The Age*. Retrieved 8 January 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Sculpture Walk"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070223143623/http://www.artcollection.unsw.edu.au/sculpture_walk). Archived from [the original](http://www.artcollection.unsw.edu.au/sculpture_walk) on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-randm_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-randm_6-1) ["What the sculpture said"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070829075839/http://randm.net.au/BBPages/Vault.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.randm.net.au/BBPages/Vault.htm) on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["A Brief History – Sculpture by the Sea 1997-2005"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070304062857/http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/html/history.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/html/history.htm) on 4 March 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nga5_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nga5_8-1) ["Ron Robertson-Swann, AO"](http://nationalgallery.gov.au/Exhibition/SculpturePrize03/Default.cfm?MnuID=6&JudgeID=5). *National Sculpture Prize and Exhibition 2003*. National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 9 January 2013.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

## External links

- [Charles Nodrum Gallery](https://web.archive.org/web/20070905214330/http://charlesnodrumgallery.com.au/BiographyRSwannR.htm)

- [Australian Center for Contemporary Art](http://www.accaonline.org.au/Vault)

- [UNSW Art Collection, Sculpture Walk](http://www.artcollection.unsw.edu.au/sculpturewalk.html)

## Further reading

- Wallis, Geoffrey J., *Peril in the Square: The sculpture that challenged a city*, Indra Publishing, Melbourne, 2004. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781920787004](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781920787004)

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