The Queensland Art Gallery displays the work of James Fardoulys – a Brisbane taxi driver of Greek origin who found artistic success after retiring from life as a cabbie.
James Fardoulys (1900–75) was born in Kythera, Greece, and came to Australia in 1914. In his youth he worked in various cafes in south-western Queensland, married a ventriloquist and conducted his own troupe of performers in the country. When the Olympia Café at Goondiwindi was destroyed by fire in 1931, he and his family moved to Brisbane where he worked as a taxi driver for the next 29 years.
After his retirement, Fardoulys began to paint seriously, and by the time of his death, with five solo shows to his credit, he had a substantial output of paintings. Naive art became generally appreciated in Australia from the early 1960s, and James Fardoulys’s work was enthusiastically promoted by local art critic Dr Gertrude Langer and artist Roy Churcher. During his short burst of activity, Fardoulys became one of the most prominent and widely appreciated naive painters in Australia.
The James Fardoulys: A Queensland Naive exhibition is current at the Queensland Art Gallery until June 20. Entry is free and more information is available at www.qag.qld.gov.au/fardoulys.
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