Brisbane-born painter and draftsman Lloyd Rees (1895 – 1988) is one of Australia's most recognised and awarded landscape painters. He twice received the Wynne Prize (in 1950 and 1982) for his work, which often focused on the effects of light in its varying forms. 'Life and Light' explores the Gallery's holdings of this significant artist's work. It will include a number of early drawings made in Brisbane in the first decades of the twentieth century, selected from works generously gifted by Alan and Jan Rees, the son and daughter-in-law of the artist.

Moving from Brisbane to Sydney in 1917, Rees also made several visits to Europe, where he took influence from Turner's works and created a series of oils en plein air that showed his growing preoccupation with the properties of light. Later in his career, Rees increasingly explored the spiritual element of landscapes, encompassed in what he described as his 'visionary' works, such as the Jack Manton Prize-winning The sunlit tower 1986.