Alexander Sadlo: Experimental Journey - an Artist in Three Countries

Alexander Sadlo was the pioneer of optical geometrical painting in Australia, and his presence in Adelaide and at the Contemporary Art Society had an osmotic effect on a later generation of painters who are now credited with bringing Hard Edge, Colour Field and Op Art to the fore in Australia.

Sadlo works in several media - ranging from painting in oils to enamels, jewellery to ceramics - and a particular interest is creating three-dimensional illusions with abstract and semi-abstract forms. In the 1960s he was also one of the first artists in Australia to produce collages that commented on and documented the period. This work coincided with a heightening of the palette in his paintings, which absorbed some of the stylistic inclinations of contemporary fashions, hip designs and Pop Art.