Sydney Harbour Art

Sydney Harbour in Australian art

Sydney Harbour has drawn painters for as long as there has been a colony on its shores. Conrad Martens painted its bays and headlands in the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1890s Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts camped at Mosman and painted the harbour in high summer light. Grace Cossington Smith painted the Harbour Bridge as it was being built, and Lloyd Rees returned to the harbour for most of the twentieth century. Brett Whiteley's views from his studio over Lavender Bay are among the best-known Australian paintings of the 1970s, and Ken Done made the harbour's colour famous around the world.

The harbour painters at SOHO carry that tradition on in their own ways. Yosi Messiah paints the harbour in bright, layered colour, from 120cm studies to Blue Shimmering Harbour at 270 x 215cm. Phil Stallard abstracts Sydney Harbour and the Hawkesbury River into colour fields and gesture. Mike Barr paints rain-washed city streets and The Rocks, and James Willebrant paints the ocean baths and beach architecture of the Sydney coast.

Choosing a Sydney Harbour painting

Size to the wall. Harbour paintings suit the long wall above a sofa or sideboard: aim for about two-thirds of the furniture's width. See our living room art guide for sizing and hanging.

A view you know. Many buyers choose a harbour painting because it holds a place in their life: the view from home, a ferry ride, a summer by the water. It also makes a meaningful gift for someone leaving Sydney, and a statement piece for offices, hotels and harbourside apartments.

Where can I buy original Sydney Harbour paintings?

SOHO Galleries in Woollahra holds original Sydney Harbour paintings by Yosi Messiah, Phil Stallard and other Australian artists, with in-home trials across Sydney and delivery Australia-wide.

Are these prints or originals?

Every painting on this page is a signed original by the artist, not a print.

Can I commission a painting of my harbour view?

Yes. Several of our artists accept commissions to a particular view, size and palette. Send us a photo of the view and the wall and we'll suggest an artist.