Australian artist Guy Warren dead age 103: "The world will be the lesser for having lost him"

Directors from the King Street Gallery in Sydney, who represent him publicly, confirmed in a statement that Warren died at 5am on Friday, June 14. Warren, who had been painting for his entire life, died surrounded by his family after a short stint in palliative care.

Born in Goulburn in 1921, Warren had more than 50 solo exhibitions across the world, with more than 80 years of painting experience and collecting a plethora of awards along the way. In his lifetime he won the Art Gallery of New South Wales Trustees' Watercolour Award in 1979, the Archibald Prize in 1985, a bronze medal at the Fourth International Triennial of Drawing in Poland in 1988, the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1999, and the Australia Medal in 2013.

In a statement, gallery directors said: “[Guy Warren was] a wonderful, kind-hearted, incredibly intelligent, funny and thoughtful person and artist. He mentored hundreds of young artists over the course of his long and significant artistic career.

“The world will be the lesser for having lost this trailblazing 103-year-old painter, teacher, philosopher, holder of history and story-teller.”

In an interview with ABC back in 2020, when Warren was 98 years old, he explained how he was still painting every day, and remained keen to experiment in his work. He said: “Every time in your life is a pivotal point if you're an artist. Every second is important. Every time you look around you is important - I just want another 50 or 100 years, there's still too many things to do.

“What has made it possible for me to be successful for so long? Dumbness. Stupidity.

“It's been a good life. I've had a lot of fun. I've helped a lot of people, I think. I hope. I've known a lot of people. I've enjoyed the world. I have no complaints.”

Warren is survived by his two children, Joanna and Paul, from his marriage to Joy Warren, an art teacher who died in 2011.