Sidney Nolan Australia in 2013, following those of Brett Whiteley and Russell Drysdale. Sidney Nolan Sir Sidney Robert Nolan (; 22 April 191728 November 1992) was one of Australia's leading artists of the 20th century. His oeuvre is among the most diverse and prolific in all of modern art. He is best known for his series of paintings on legends from Australian history, most famously Ned Kelly, the bushranger and outlaw. Nolan's stylised depiction of Kelly's armour has become an icon of Australian art. Sidney Nolan was born in Carlton, at that time an inner working-class suburb of Melbourne, on 22 April
Cultural depictions of Ned Kelly That same year (2003) a low budget satire movie called "Ned" was released. Written, directed and starring Abe Forsythe, it depicted the Kelly gang wearing fake beards and tin buckets on their heads. A film adaptation of Peter Carey's novel "True History of the Kelly Gang" is currently in production, with Justin Kurzel serving as director. The cast includes George MacKay as Ned Kelly and Russell Crowe as Harry Power, Kelly's mentor in bushranging. Ian Jones and the late Bronwyn Binns wrote a script for a four-part television mini-series, "The Last Outlaw" (1980), which they co-produced. The series premiered on