On 20 October 2008, Australia lost one of its legendary pioneers. A driving force behind the national collection and a leading artist of his generation, James Gleeson leaves an amazing legacy as one of the most well-loved and influential personalities in the art world. ROBERT BURATTI remembers.

James Timothy Gleeson was born in the Sydney suburb of Hornsby in 1915. Losing his father to the influenza epidemic of 1919, he was brought up by his mother, whom he later cared for until her death in 1958. His initial artistic leanings were fostered by his aunt, Doris McPherson, who taught him to use oil paint at the age of 11. His earliest surviving painting is a copy of Lord Leighton’s And the sea gave up the dead that were in it (1891–1892), executed from a bookplate when he was 16.

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James Gleeson in his studio. Courtesy the Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation.