According to Milsom, a painting is successful only ‘when it announces the limits of painting and shows you that whatever the image is, it’s a painting—a fabrication operating in very clear space ... whether it’s illusion or not, it is just paint—a material substance that can stand for many things’. —Ingrid Periz
Nigel Milsom is a figurative painter whose work blends baroque abstraction with an inimitable, personal style. His paintings explore formal tensions—light and dark, motion and stillness, strength and vulnerability—that evolve into more complex, often personal, structures. Over a studio practice spanning more than 25 years, Milsom has been known for dramatic chiaroscuro effects and compositions. His paintings begin as ink studies, with construction lines left visible in the final works, creating a layered visual architecture. Milsom’s subjects range widely, serving as abstract anchors for exploring composition and pictorial structure. While grounded in formal rigor, his work frequently incorporates social themes, cultural references, and autobiographical elements—including allusions to music and literature.
He has received three of Australia’s most prestigious painting prizes: the Sir John Sulman Prize (2012), the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2013), and the Archibald Prize (2015). In 2002, he completed a Master of Fine Arts (Research) at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
Key exhibitions
- Zombie Eaters, curated by Michael Moran, Murray Art Museum Albury, 2022
- 5 x 5 – the Artist and the Patron, curated by Michael Do, Penrith Regional Gallery, Sydney, 2018
- Australian art and the Russian avant-garde, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2017)
- Painting. More Painting, curated by Max Delany, Annika Kristensen and Hannah Mathews, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 2016
- Nigel Milsom: An Overview, Juniper Hall, Sydney, 2015
- Wilderness: Balnaves contemporary painting, curated by Wayne Tunnicliffe, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2010
Key readings
- Hannah Mathews, ‘Nigel Milsom’, Painting. More Painting, exh. cat. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 2016, p.114
- Rachel Kent, ‘Nigel Milsom: Surface tension’, Art Monthly Australia, no. 280, June 2015, pp. 40-43
- Ingrid Periz, ‘Nigel Milsom: Judo House Part 4 (Golden Mud)’, Eyeline, no. 76, 2012, pp.79
Collections
Allens Arthur Robinson Art Collection
Artbank
ANZ Bank Art Collection
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Campbelltown Arts Centre
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Art Collection
Maitland Regional Art Gallery
Monash University Art Collection
Murray Art Museum Albury
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Newcastle Art Gallery
Wesfarmers Art Collection
Wollongong University Art Collection