In 2022 the National Art School celebrated two important milestones: the 100-year anniversary of the Art School’s presence on its current site in Darlinghurst, and 200 years since the first stones were quarried and laid for walls of the Darlinghurst Gaol in 1822.

To mark this occasion, the National Art School produced a major new publication of stories that portray 200 years of life behind the walls of the former Darlinghurst Gaol.

The book comprises 20 chapters of stories and images that collectively recount the life of Sydney’s oldest gaol and most renowned art school. Deborah Beck, National Art School Collection Manager and Historian, has written the majority of chapters, with contributions from colleagues Jennifer Byrne (chapter 14), Lorraine Kypiotis (chapter 12) and Jacqui Taffel (chapters 19 and 20). Each chapter features a critical theme in the history of this unique site, from its original purpose as a brutal gaol, to its centenary as Australia’s National Art School in which individual thinking and expression are encouraged and artistic talent is nurtured.

The book is richly illustrated with over 200 images drawn from the NAS Archive and Collection as well as other public and private collections. The publication is a celebration of two significant Sydney institutions that helped shape the penal and cultural history of New South Wales. It is a valuable and accessible reference, visually engaging, of interest to current and former students, art world audiences, descendants of inmates, historical researchers, local Sydney and Darlinghurst residents and the general public.

Hardback
240 pages
24 x 22cm