Geoff Dyer (1947-2020) was renowned landscape and portrait painter whose practice depicted Tasmania and its people. Dyer was born in Hobart and studied at the Tasmanian School of Art between 1965 and 1968. He started exhibiting in the 1970s while working as a teacher and then a lecturer, initially at the Launceston School of Art and then at Burnie Technical College. In 1995, he won an Art Gallery of NSW residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. Primarily a landscape artist, much of Dyer’s work was inspired by Tasmania, his subjects including such iconic places as the Franklin River, the South West World Heritage Area, Cradle Mountain and Lake St. Clare. He was a finalist in the Wynne Prize nine times (1977, 1988–1993, 1997, 2004); and the Sulman Prize twice (1997, 2006). Dyer painted one portrait per year (generally of a fellow Tasmanian) for entry in the Archibald Prize. He became an Archibald finalist for the first time in 1993 with his portrait of environmentalist and former federal leader of The Greens, Bob Brown; and ten years later took out the Prize with his portrait of novelist Richard Flanagan. He was again a finalist in the 2011 prize for his portrait of MONA founder, David Walsh. Dyer was commissioned by the Tasmanian Government to paint the official portrait of former state Premier Paul Lennon for the Parliament House collection. Dyer exhibited regularly in solo and group exhibitions since 1970 and his work is represented in many collections, including those of Artbank; the University of Tasmania; the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart; the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston aand the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart.
