Kevin Charles "Pro" Hart, MBE (30 May 192828 March 2006), was an Australian artist, born in

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

, New South Wales, who was considered the father of the Australian

Outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...

painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback. He grew up on his family's sheep farm in Menindee and was nicknamed "Professor" (hence "Pro") during his younger days, when he was known as an inventor.

Art styles

Hart typically painted with oils or acrylics, using paint brushes and sponges, and depict scenes of rural town life, nature, topical commentary, and some religious subjects. His illustrations for the collection of Henry Lawson's poems show keen powers of character observation combined with an obvious wit. Hart was also a sculptor, working with welded steel, bronze and ceramics. Pro Hart was known for his novel techniques including "cannon painting" and "balloon painting", and in 2002 was using his own DNA as a mark of authenticity in his paintings. Retrospective application of a DNA mark is available for older Pro Hart paintings. An example of the Pro Hart Cannon painting was when a commercial on television was shown for stain resistant carpet, covering the entire carpet with his unique painting style. For most of his career Hart was dismissed by many critics as a mere showman, with his art often judged as populist and derivative, and not good enough for serious critical attention. Barry Pearce, the head curator of Australian art at the

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 importa ...

said that comparing Hart with the artists whose work normally hangs in the gallery was "rather like Slim Dusty being compared to

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

". Hart considered his critics to be a part of the "art mafia" and noted that he achieved his success without any help from the arts establishment.

Beliefs

He frequently addressed political themes in his artwork. When asked about this subject, he stated "If I said what I thought sometimes, I might get sued so I paint to show what is going on, to bring out the truth and make people aware". The painting ''Aboriginal Land Rights'' is from Pro Hart's "masks" period. This painting highlights his conspiracy ideas with regards to land rights. The scene has a map of Australia with the Aboriginal Flag over the top. The people in the background "playing the communist cards" have Illuminati logos on their ties. In the foreground are a group of

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

people, perhaps negotiating their rights.

Pastimes

He collected vintage cars and motor cycles, and invented many kinds of engines and machines. He enjoyed pistol shooting, reading the Bible, and organ music. He was the proud owner of a Rodgers electric pipe organ, which was said to be the largest of its kind in Australia. This was installed in his gallery, a step which considerably enhanced its value as a Broken Hill tourist attraction.

Awards

He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1976. In 1982 he received an Honorary Life Membership of Society International Martinique for outstanding artistic achievement. He received an Australian Citizen of the Year award in 1983, and was known for his charitable work and generosity.

Final years

Pro Hart developed motor neurone disease. He died on 28 March 2006. He had been unable to paint for the last six months of his life. A large

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

was held for him on 4 April 2006 in

— the first state funeral in New South Wales to be held west of the Blue Mountains. He was interred in the Broken Hill cemetery.

References

External links

Artist Pro Hart dies
Australian Broadcasting Corporation news item.

Sydney Morning Herald
Obituary for Kevin Charles "Pro" Hart MBE
Obits.com.au - Australian Death Notices, Funeral Notices and Obituaries
Pro Hart GalleryPro Hart at Australian Art

Interview with Pro Hart in Broken Hill
from 1976 from the National Film & Sound Archive of Australia'
australianscreen online.The Hart legacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Pro 1928 births 2006 deaths People from Broken Hill, New South Wales Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Deaths from motor neuron disease Neurological disease deaths in New South Wales 20th-century Australian painters