Created in 1982 by Sydney artist Martin Shaw, 'Three Well-Known Australians' has travelled to galleries, libraries and public halls around Australia since 1983, inviting viewers across the nation to guess the identity of the three abstract figures it depicts.

 Shaw assures audiences he didn’t merely paint these figures at random. “I did have three Australians or Australian themes in mind” he says, but he won’t disclose these details. The only figure in the painting with a definite identity is a small black and white dog in the bottom right-hand corner. This is Pea, Shaw’s much-loved pet, who died in 1991. 

The current exhibition includes more than 40 years of guesses from people who have visited the work, these are catalogued into yearbooks which provide insight to this rolling "historical social commentary" of Australia.  Of course, over time, who the community feels these figures represent will change as the figure heads, influencers and popular culture within our community changes and evolves.

Many well-known Australians have participated in this project and a selection of the 240 letters Shaw has received from notable community members are also on display, including recent guesses from Prime Minister Albanese and the Premier of South Australia.

 This enigmatic artwork will be on display at Mount Pleasant Library until 24 December 2024.  We encourage you to visit and become part of this perpetually touring project.