Paul Haefliger (1914-1982) trained in Sydney and then in London with Bernard Meninsky and Mark Gertler. He returned to Sydney with his wife, the painter Jean Bellette, in 1939. In 1941 he was appointed art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, in which capacity he promoted modernist ideas flowing into Sydney through artists such as Dobell, Drysdale and Friend. Haefliger was the chief witness for the defence in the Joshua Smith case. In 1957, frustrated by his lack of opportunity to paint, he retired from art criticism and went to live in Spain. Later he lived in France, Switzerland and Australia. He is represented in the National Gallery, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Updated 2018
