1927, Sydney – 2016, London

Laurence Hope studied at the East Sydney Technical College (1941–44), before moving to Brisbane for several years (1944–52). His works during his Brisbane period, with their contrast in light and dark, possess a strange romantic quality. When he lived in Brisbane, Hope met the poet Barrett Reid, one of the founders of the Barjai group of writers and poets. Hope aligned himself with this group — whose emphasis was on ‘creative youth’ and freedom of expression — and his paintings were illustrated in the Barjai literary magazine, alongside poetry and articles by Laurence Collinson, Charles Osborne, Barbara Patterson (later Blackman) and Judith Wright. In 1945, Hope was one of the founding members of the Miya Studio group of young artists, whose beliefs were considered avant-garde by the Brisbane Establishment. Between 1949 and 1951, Hope journeyed to tropical Queensland to work and paint, before moving to Melbourne in 1953. In 1963, Hope travelled to London, where he continues to live.