For the first time in six decades, a famous series of paintings depicting one of the most notorious periods of Australia's history will be gathered in one place.
Australian artist Sidney Nolan's 27 paintings which make up his Ned Kelly series will form part of an exhibition of the artist's work, which opens at the Art Gallery of NSW on Saturday.
Born in Melbourne in 1917, Nolan became one of the nation's most significant modernist artists, known for his depictions of the history and mythology of the Australian bush.
His most famous paintings are those of bushrangers Ned Kelly and the Kelly gang, painted in 1946 and 1947.
Nolan's grandfather was believed to have been one of the police officers who pursued the bushrangers when they were on the run in Victoria and NSW between 1878 and 1880
Joint exhibition curator Denise Mimmocchi said this was likely one of the things that sparked the artist's interest in the subject.
Of the 27 paintings in the series, 26 are usually housed at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra, and one is part of the Art Gallery of NSW's permanent collection.
"They've rarely been seen together, and they haven't been seen together for 60 years, actually," gallery director Maud Page said.
"They're national treasures."
The exhibition, which spans the late 1930s to 1953, also features Nolan's lesser-known works of other parts of Australia's history and landscapes.
One room features a series of Nolan's paintings depicting K'gari, formally known as Fraser Island, in Queensland, and another illustrates his time living with art patrons John and Sunday Reed on the outskirts of Melbourne - the property now home to the Heide Museum of Modern Art.
There are also works depicting his time travelling in the Kimberley region in Western Australia with his wife Cynthia, John Reed's sister, and her daughter Jinx.
Ms Mimmocchi said all of the works, although aesthetically diverse, explored similar themes around Australia's history.
This included an exploration of colonialism, capturing what she described as a "sense of unease".
"(Nolan) was trying to figure out how he connects to this place we call Australia. How do we define it?" Ms Mimmochi told AAP.
"And of course, these are questions that are still unresolved for white Australians, and ever expanding and ever changing as well."
Nolan: Origins runs from October 3 to February 7.
