NLA image of person
Donald Friend Donald Friend i(A4670 works by) (birth name: Donald Stueart Leslie Friend) (a.k.a. Donald Stuart Leslie Friend; Donald Stewart Leslie Friend)
Born: Established: 6 Feb 1914 Sydney, New South Wales, ; Died: Ceased: 16 Aug 1989 Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Before the outbreak of the Second World War, writer and artist Donald Friend travelled extensively, living in England, France and West Africa. During the war he served in the artillery and was an official war artist from 1945-1946. His work from this period is collected in Fry and Fry's Donald Friend: Australian War Artist.

Following the war, Friend continued to travel, and lived in a number of locales, including Europe, Sri Lanka, New Guinea and Borneo, returning to Australia in 1980 due to ill health.

His richly illustrated diary, which he kept from the age of 16 until just before his death, provided inspiration for much of his work and is now held by the National Library of Australia.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • Note: most sources incorrectly have Friend's year of birth as 1915. His place of birth, usually shown in reference sources as Moree, NSW, is given as Sydney in army records.

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Diaries of Donald Friend. Volume 4 Canberra : National Library of Australia , 2006 Z1326781 2006 selected work diary

'Donald Friend's legendary years in Bali in the 1960s and 70s and his subsequent final decade in Australia, are revealed in detail in this fourth and final volume of The Diaries Donald Friend. In Bali he lives luxuriously, like a lord - even keeping his own gamelan orchestra - and becomes an international celebrity artist. He welcomes guests such as Mick Jagger and the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, entertains numerous other visitors who want to buy his paintings and drawings and socialised freely with friends, including many other artists. He engages in significant building activity and property development while also producing superb illustrated manuscripts and books. And despite increasing ill-health, Friend continues to revel in his life's drama and creativity, remaining an eloquent, often charming and sometimes irascible companion. Including over 60 drawings from the diaries, many of them in colour, this volume confirms Friend's quicksilver creative brilliance and extraordinary insight. He is perhaps Australia's most important twentieth-century diarist. Published under the auspices of the Morris West Trust Fund.'

2006 shortlisted Manning Clark House National Cultural Awards Individual Category
Last amended 18 Aug 2004 16:45:12
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