A household name in Australia, contemporary artist Ken Done’s designs have been emblazoned on everything from swimwear, homeware, vintage clothing and even on a series of BMW Art Cars. In his teens, he enrolled in the National Art School in East Sydney. After twenty years as a commercial artist working in Sydney, New York, and London, he began painting full time. Ken held his first solo exhibition in 1980 and has since had more than 100 one-man shows, including exhibitions in Australia, Europe, the US and Japan—his 1991 tour attracted more than 200,000 visitors. Ken’s works have been featured in the Archibald, Sulman, Wynne, Blake and Dobell Prizes. Although he has worked with many charitable organizations, the welfare of underprivileged children is of great concern to him; since 1988 he has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and, in 1992, he received the Order of Australia (A.M.) for services to Art, Design and Tourism.

Photograph by James Geer