Ovals & Fields, Andrew Sayers AM (1957-2015): A painter’s quiet tribute to Melbourne’s sporting landscapes.

OVAL & FIELDS, Andrew Sayers AM (1957-2015)

OFFMARKET OFFSITE 

Opening night : Thursday September 18, 2025 - 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Lawson Flats -  4 Sherwood Court, Perth, Western Australia 6000

 

OFFMARKET Gallery steps out of its architect-designed Claremont home and into Lawson Flats for a special one-night showing of works by the late Andrew Sayers AM — one of Australia’s most respected art historians and artists.

 

Hosted at Lawson Flats, this OFFSITE edition brings the gallery’s intimate, personal approach to exhibiting into their own Gallery Lobby. Expect an evening of conversation, connection, and the rare chance to view paintings that blend close observation with cultural insight.

 

Andrew Sayers AM was a celebrated art historian, curator, and artist. He served as the inaugural Director of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, later leading the National Museum of Australia, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to arts administration. Alongside his public career, Sayers painted prolifically — a private practice that became his full-time focus from 2013.

 

His work reflects what he described as “seeing nature through the glass of time,” where the real world is filtered through cultural memory and lived experience.

In Melbourne, Sayers found new inspiration in the city’s deep sporting culture. A long-distance runner, rower, and cyclist, he began painting sports fields — not the games themselves, but the quiet, utilitarian landscapes around them: goalposts, fences, muddy turf.

 

These works offer a painter’s perspective on the everyday spaces where community and culture intersect, and stand as a tribute to Melbourne’s unique relationship with sport.