Encyclopedia

Korean War

Two artists who had served during the Second World War were re–appointed during the Korean War.

• Ivor Hele (1912–1993)
• Frank Norton (1916–1983)

Vietnam War

Two civilian artists were appointed during this war. Unlike earlier commissions, both were required to undergo jungle warfare training and expected to perform as active soldiers if necessary.

• Bruce Fletcher (b. 1937)
• Ken McFadyen (1939–1997)

Peacekeeping operations since 1999

East Timor (Timor–Leste)

With the deployment of Australian troops to East Timor in 1999, the largest overseas commitment since the Vietnam War, the Memorial saw an opportunity to revive the Official War Art Scheme and commissioned artists to record all aspects of Australia’s involvement in the INTERFET peacekeeping operations. Two commissions were realised in 1999, Rick Amor followed by Wendy Sharpe; and a third artist, Jon Cattapan, 2008.

• Rick Amor (b. 1948)
• Jon Cattapan (b. 1956)
• Wendy Sharpe (b. 1960)

Solomon Islands
Australian troops have been deployed in the Solomon Islands since the introduction of RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) in 2003. In 2009, the Australian War Memorial commissioned eX de Medici to observe the peacekeeping activities of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). She is currently completing works in response to her two-week-long deployment.

• eX de Medici (b. 1959)

Middle Eastern operations
Peter Churcher was appointed in February 2002 to spend three weeks with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)in the Persian Gulf. He then flew to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and also spent time with the ADF stationed in Afghanistan.

• Peter Churcher (b. 1964)

Iraq and Afghanistan
In 2003 Lewis Miller was appointed to depict Australia's involvement in the conflict in Iraq.

• Lewis Miller (b. 1959)

The following artists work collaboratively and were appointed as official artists for Afghanistan and Iraq in 2007. They were attached to military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Afghanistan to record and interpret the training, logisitical and operational activities of the ADF personnel.

• Lyndell Brown (b. 1961)
• Charles Green (b. 1953)

In 2009 the Memorial commissioned Shaun Gladwell to tour with the ADF in Afghanistan; the commission has not yet been completed.

• Shaun Gladwell (b. 1972)

Exhibitions

Peter Churcher, Official Artist: The War Against Terrorism (on display 2002)

Australians in Iraq, 2003 (on display 2004)

Framing Conflict: Iraq and Afghanistan — Lyndell Brown and Charles Green (touring in 2009 and 2010)