Riverbend, 1964-65

Sidney Nolan, Riverbend, 1964-65, oil on board, nine panels (4th panel shown), The Australian National University Collection, © Sidney Nolan Trust

Christina Slade is an Emeritus Professor of Bath Spa University having held the position of Vice-Chancellor from January 2012 to August 2017.

“During the 1970s, Nolan’s River Bend sequence was hung above the dining hall in Bruce Hall, at the Australian National University. The snaking river, the glowing pellucid colours, shimmered over philosophical debates on identity, exam crises, heartbreak. The luminous curves of the river illuminated those years of learning, across all spheres.”