Pro Hart, the renowned Australian artist and Outback Legend of Broken Hill
“What makes Pro Hart special is his unbreakable connection with the Barrier country of Far west NSW. His bush scenes are not just illustrations of outback life: they glow with the unforgettable light of the inland, Germaine Greer”.
How did Pro Hart’s personal history relate to the art he produced?
Pro Hart drew inspiration from his daily life in Broken Hill, from childhood adventures in the bush to hard yakker work in the mine. Using paintbrushes and sponges his work was all about colour, light and patterns to establish a sense of order. Pro would use any tool or method to create his work.
Narratively paintings depicted scenes of rural town life, topical commentary, and large insects.
He described himself as an experimenter and an inventor of his own painting techniques.
Pro Hart’s creative spirit knew no bounds. He experimented with “performance art” dropping paint from hot air balloons, creating ice sculptures and using a cannon to distribute paint onto his chosen medium.
Perhaps his most famous moment came with a series of television carpet commercials.
Located only 2 kilometres from The Lodge Outback Motel, the gallery is well worth a visit
Visiting the gallery is an opportunity to see the work of Pro Hart, discover what his motivations were. You will find tucked away in glass cabinets old tin toy sulkies similar to those in Pro’s paintings.
In front of the gallery you will see Pro Hart’s famous Rolls Royce. The painted cars are a powerful social symbol. Hart was very aware of the influence he had painting images from Australian history onto a British icon like the Rolls Royce.
Among the collection, you will also find work from other famous artists such as Sir William Dobell, Arthur Boyd, John Constable, Claude Monet, and Albert Tucker.
Location: 108 Wyman St, Broken Hill NSW 2880, Australia (See Map below)