Tom Roberts

Tom Roberts (8 March 1856 – 14 September 1931) is best known as the driving force behind the Heidelberg School, Australia’s first impressionist movement. Born in England, he moved to Australia as a child, studied in Melbourne, and then refined his craft in Europe from 1881 to 1885. Upon returning, he co-founded the Box Hill artists’ camp with Frederick McCubbin, one of the first plein air painting sites for the Heidelberg School. With Arthur Streeton and Charles Conder, he staged the 1889 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition, Australia’s first avant-garde show. Nicknamed “Bulldog” for his relentless energy, Roberts urged fellow artists to capture Australian life. His best-known works—*Shearing the Rams* (1890), *A break away!* (1891), and *Bailed Up* (1895)—are iconic national narratives. To support himself, he worked as a society portraitist and was the first to advocate for an Australian National Portrait Gallery. In 1903, he completed *The Big Picture*, a monumental depiction of the first Australian Parliament. Roberts died in 1931, leaving a legacy as the founder of Australian impressionism.