Rodney Armour Milgate (30 June 1934 – 19 September 2014) was an Australian painter and playwright. He was a Professor of the Visual Arts School of the (then) City Art Institute,

University of NSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

and newsreader (on the broadcast television Channel 7).

Biography

Rodney Armour Milgate was born at

Kyogle Kyogle () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It falls within the Local government in Australia, local government area of Kyogle Council. At the 2016 Australian census, 2016 census, Kyogle had a popu ...

, New South Wales on 30 June 1934. Milgate was considered one of Australia's most influential artists, especially during the 60s and 70s. His work is represented in major collections around the world and he had many solo exhibitions and awards for his work, including the

Blake Prize for Religious Art The Blake Prize, formerly the Blake Prize for Religious Art, is an Australian art prize awarded for art that explores spirituality. Since the inaugural prize in 1951, the prize was awarded annually from 1951 to 2015, and since 2016 has been a ...

three times. His play, ''A Refined Look at existence'', first presented in February 1968, was described as "An ironic comedy drama which reworks

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; , ''Bakkhai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumou ...

, set in a NSW country town. Daring in form, this was possibly the earliest play to capture the emotional turbulence that characterised the 1960s." In 1960, he married Australian actress

Dinah Shearing Dinah Hilary Shearing (12 February 1926 – 14 June 2021) was an Australian actress, active in all facets of the industry, in particular theatre. Early life and education Dinah Hilary Shearing was born on 12 February 1926 in Sydney, to Englis ...

and the couple had two sons. Milgate retired to the Central Coast, north of Sydney, where he died on Friday, 19 September 2014.

Selected work

Awards

* 1964 John Fairfax Human Image Prize * 1966 Blake Prize for Religious Art * 1968 Harkness Fellowship (Commonwealth Fund, New York), two-year tenure * 1970 D' Arcy Morris Memorial Prize * 1972 Gold Coast Purchase Prize (jointly) * 1975 Blake Prize for Religious Art * 1977 Blake Prize for Religious Art (jointly with John Coburn) * 1978 Six month Residency, Owen Tooth Memorial Cottage, The Karolyi Foundation, Vence, France :::Six month Residency, Studio Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, France * 1986 Gosford City Art Award – New World * 1987 Sydney Morning Herald Heritage Art Award * 1991 Mosman Art Award * 1993 Outstanding Achievement in Poetry (Editor's Choice), National Library of Poetry, Maryland, USA * 1993 CoFA, University of New South Wales, Faculty Research Grant * 1995 Positive Images Prize, Pittwater Council, NSW – 'Incident at Avalon Beach', a poem (writing award) * 1996 Three months residency, University of NSW Studio, Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, France

Selected solo exhibitions

* 1962

Macquarie Galleries Macquarie Galleries was a Sydney art museum, private art gallery established in 1925 by John Henry Young and Basil Burdett. It was located at "Strathkyle", 19 Bligh Street Sydney then moved to 40 King Street in 1945. From 1991 to 1993 it was lo ...

, Sydney * 1963 South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne :::Macquarie Galleries, Sydney * 1965 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney ::: South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne ::: Johnstone Galleries, Brisbane ::: Macquarie Galleries, Canberra * 1966 Commonwealth Institute Galleries (by invitation), Whitechapel, London ::: Macquarie Galleries, Sydney ::: Macquarie Galleries, Canberra * 1967 Johnstone Galleries, Brisbane ::: Von Bertouch Galleries, Newcastle, NSW ::: Macquarie Galleries, Sydney * 1969 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney * 1970 Johnstone Galleries, Brisbane ::: Macquarie Galleries, Canberra * 1971 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney * 1972 Johnstone Galleries, Brisbane ::: South Yarra Galleries, Melbourne * 1973 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney ::: Macquarie Galleries, Canberra * 1974 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney * 1976 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney * 1977 Macquarie Galleries, Canberra * 1980 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney ::: St James Room, David Jones, Sydney ::: Touring exhibition, Phillip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane, and St Johns Cathedral, Brisbane ::: Solander Gallery, Canberra * 1982 Painters Gallery, Sydney * 1983 Barry Stern Exhibiting Gallery, Sydney * 1989 Bonython-Meadmore Gallery, Sydney * 1989 Long Gallery, Wollongong University, NSW (public exhibition of PhD presentation) * 1991 David Jones Art Gallery, Sydney * 1991–92 ''Fourteen Stations of the Cross'' (17 major oil paintings accompanied by poems read and recorded by Dinah Shearing and Ron Haddrick), toured Orange Regional Art Gallery, ::: NSW; Dubbo Regional Art Gallery, ::: NSW; Noosa Art Gallery, Queensland ::: A Search for Meaning – Recent Paintings, Blaxland Galleries, Sydney ::: Poetics in the Paintings of Rod ::: Milgate, Manly Art Gallery Survey Exhibition, Sydney * 1994 Points of View, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales * 1995 The Art of Rod Milgate, Manly Art Gallery and Museum * 1996 Wagner Galleries, Sydney * 1998 Artarmon Galleries, Sydney * 2002 Journey into self, Gosford Regional Art Gallery, NSW * 2012 Allograph, Gosford Regional Art Gallery, NSW

Productions and writings

* 1966 ''A Refined Look at Existence'' (three-act stage play), produced at Jane Street Theatre, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney by Robin Lovejoy ::: ''Art composition: a contemporary view'' (book) Pub. Angus and Robertson, Sydney ::: "The nature of creativity". Commissioned article for October Hemisphere magazine. Pub. Commonwealth Office of education * 1968 ''At Least You Get Something Out of That'', play commissioned by New South Wales Drama Foundation, produced at Old Tote Theatre Season of Australian plays (including revival of A Refined Look at Existence) * 1977 ''Grass Up to Your Ears'' and ''Buckets with Holes in Them'' (two stage plays) * 1978 ''Incident at Novala Beach'' (novel) * 1979 ''A Golden Pathway Through Europe'' selected for workshop production presentation at the Australian National Playwrights Conference,

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

, Canberra :::''Triage or the Fortunates'' (stage play) 'First Hearing', 'Australian Letters', 'Poet's Tongue' and 'Quality Street' broadcast on ABC National Radio :::''Pictures at an exhibition'' (book of poetry) Pub. Elizabethan Press, Sydney * 1980 A Golden Pathway Through Europe produced at Ensemble Theatre, Milsons Point, Sydney ::Favourites (stage play) * 1981 ''Intruders'' and ''Destiny's Mill'' (two stage plays) ::''Grass Up to Your Ears'' selected for reading at the Australian National Playwrights Conference, Australian National University, Canberra * 1982 The Story of Larry Foley (film script) * 1983 'Work in Progress', ABC telefilm, ''The Creative Eye'', series on Australian artists :::Destiny's Mill selected for workshop production presentation at National Playwrights' Conference, Australian National University, Canberra * 1984 ''Triage or the Fortunates'' adapted for radio and accepted for production ABC Radio, Sydney Wrote Archibald Prize (stage play) * 1985 ''Anniversary Waltz'' (stage play) Workshop reading of Intruders at Hunter Valley Theatre Company, Newcastle, NSW * 1991 Workshop reading of ''Anniversary Waltz'', Iron €ove Theatre, Sydney * 1992 ''The Search for Meaning – Fourteen Stations of the Cross'' subject of monograph for ABC National Radio, presented by Caroline Jones, produced by Stephen Godley; poems recorded by Ron Haddrick and Dinah Shearing, Catholic Broadcasting Services, Sydney, * * 1992 * 1993 ''Incident at Novala Beach'' Published by College of Fine Arts, NSW University. :::''The coming of dawn'', An anthology Pub. The National Library of Poetry, Owing Mills, Maryland USA :::'The Sound of Poetry', cassette recording, one of ten international poems selected and recorded by National Library of Poetry, Owing Mills MD, Maryland, USA * 1996 ''Archibald Prize'' (stage play), Domain Theatre,

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

; director Aarne Neeme

Acting appearances

*''

The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day ''The Slaughter of St. Teresa's Day'' is a play by Australian author Peter Kenna. Plot Oola Maguire, a bookie, holds a party every St. Teresa's Day. The guests are the people she has quarreled with in the past year, and there is only one rule: F ...

'' (1960) (TV movie)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milgate, Rodney Australian male dramatists and playwrights 1934 births 2014 deaths Australian television journalists Academic staff of the University of New South Wales 20th-century Australian male artists 21st-century Australian painters 21st-century Australian male artists 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Australian dramatists and playwrights Blake Prize for Religious Art winners Australian male painters 20th-century Australian painters Australian modern painters