In a blockbuster first for Castlemaine, an exhibition spanning the 50-year career of the well-known and much-loved artist ‘Sir’ Leslie Thornton will open at Castlemaine Art Museum this Saturday.
The exhibition, which fittingly coincides with the launch of Castlemaine’s 2025 Fringe Festival, features paintings, drawings and sculptures that celebrate the artist’s whimsical and playful Australian-centric approach.
In his long career, ideas man Leslie has had more than 40 solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows while continuously creating, inventing and refining.
Polymath Les escaped Queensland as a young man, with a training in civil engineering, a love of lighting and a feel for the surreal.
After a short stint in Melbourne, he left to make Castlemaine – then, as now, a haven for the arty counter culture – his home.
After building his house on a bush block in the Chewton bushlands, and working in various areas such as painting and decorating, he was appointed manager of the Theatre Royal.
“Keeping this iconic venue open was the equivalent of having five full time jobs,” Les recalls, and in 1995 he awarded himself a knighthood, becoming ‘Sir Leslie’ for his dedication and entrepreneurial services in preserving its function as a historical theatre.
With his background in technical drawing, ticket and sign writing, his body of art shows a meticulousness coupled with a designer’s sense of colour and proportion. His paintings mirror his interests: local icons‚ bridges, shops, buildings and mountains.
His practice, supported by a life-long eye for collecting, also encompasses clocks, cartoons, collages, deconstructed objects and sculpture from electrical components.
The retrospective exhibition showcases more than 130 pieces of work and is accompanied by a public program, which includes a weekly intimate tour with ‘Sir’ Les, himself, and an electrical sculpture workshop for children.
The exhibition runs through until July 27.
To discover more about the exhibition and upcoming workshops visit castlemaineartmuseum.org.au
Castlemaine Art Museum, 14 Lyttleton St, Castlemaine is open Thursday-Saturday 11am–4pm, Sunday 12pm–4pm.
