Gillie and Marc Schattner
Painters (Paddington, NSW)

Husband and wife Marc and Gillie Schattner are international award winning artists and Archibald Prize Finalists. Gillie, born in London in 1965 and Marc born in Melbourne in 1961 have been painting together for the last 15 years and have exhibited their art all over the world. Most of their artwork appears as diptychs. They work collaboratively on the same art piece combining their talent to arrive at a single vision. Every aspect of the art piece has both their minds and hands on it, reflecting their individual passions and influences in life.

Gillie and Marc Schattner’s work is the perfect marriage of style and content: their art uses a colourful and exuberant meshing of figurative expressionism and Pop Art to explore themes of contentment and happiness. Their recent dog series was inspired by research that showed that if you want to live a happy life, the single most important thing you can do is get a dog.

Gillie and Marc are fascinated by the things that give us pleasure, the things that make us happy, the things that make life worth living, and they make art which embodies that quest. The bold, simple shapes and rich colours and textures they use in their paintings and sculptures are a source of simple, positive pleasure, while also suggesting metaphors for our search for happiness.

Gillie and Marc Schattner’s art draws on their work in the fields of graphic design and advertising, as well as Gillie’s experiences working as a registered nurse.

They have worked with the Smile Foundation, The Black Dog Institute and Australian Red Cross Blood Service. They are also successful portrait artists, and were recent finalists in the Archibald Prize. Specialising in children, pets and celebrities, their portraits are in international demand. Their subjects include Rhonda Birchmore, Scarlett Johannson, John Konrad, Archbishop Pell, Dr Harry Cooper, Jimmy Little, and the late Peter Brock.

Marc and Gillie have had over 30 solo exhibitions, and are hung in prominent corporate and gallery collections. They are also published authors with their recent children's/gift book, 'The Happiest Day of My Life' becoming a best seller.

Gillie and Marc Schattner live in Sydney with their two children, Jessie and Ben, plus a dog and a cat.

Artists Statement :
Working (and living) together with cohesive, symbiotic energy, Gillie and Marc are most well known for their diptyches - two images placed side-by-side to create an emotional reaction which is greater than the sum of its two separate parts. “There is no image that hasn’t been seen - but by juxtaposing different icons together, an interesting, dynamic narrative is created in the viewers mind”.

Gillie and Marc’s current work of drawings paintings and sculptures, using imagery of domestic dogs next to chairs and sofas, exemplifies the philosophy eloquently. Marc explains, “A domestic dog is a symbol of loyalty, comfort and companionship. The sofa is symbolic of modern comfort and domestic bliss. So placing iconic images of the two side by side creates an even greater sense of ease and contentment. And keeping the treatment raw stops the composite from being saccharine. We’re all disturbed by the violence in the world today. Of course, it was bound to impact on Art, but people don’t want it there anymore. They want to feel safe, content, validated. Gillie and I strive to capture the essence of those positive feelings through figurative imagery”.

Contact Gillie and Marc Schattner
Visit Gillie and Marc Schattner's website

Solo Exhibitions:
2007 Modern Addiction Libby Edwards Melbourne
2006 Creature Comforts Libby Edwards Sydney
2005 Life Can't Wait Darling Park Gallery Sydney (Travelling exhibition around Australia)
1999 Sex in the City New York
1996 Circus New York
1994 Expats The Substation Singapore
1993 A Blue Eye View The Substation Singapore
1992 Eat Me Hilton Hotel Singapore
1990 Friends Hong Kong
1984 Travels Belguim

Selected Group Exhibitions:
2007 Mosman Art Prize Finalist Mosman Art Gallery
2007 Water Libby Edwards Brisbane
2006 Blake Exceptions Exhibition Chase Contemporary & Tribal Arts Gallery, Sydney
2006 New Paintings Libby Edwards Melbourne
2006 Archibald Prize Finalist Art Gallery of NSW Sydney
2006 Corporate Art Burleigh Queensland
2000 Mamaroneck Artist Guild New York
1998 Mamaroneck Artist Guild New York
1997 Mamaroneck Artist Guild New York
1997 Asian Scenes Singapore

Awards and Publications:
2006 ARCHIBALD PRIZE FINALIST Art Gallery of New South Wales 2006 (Portrait of John Konrads and Black Dog)
1999 MAMARONECK ART PRIZE (finalist)
1998 Cannes Advertising Festival for Scotch Brite and Ben Wear
1994 SINGAPORE CREATIVE CIRCLE ART PRIZE (winner)

Published Books:
Zac’s PB (Hodder Headline),
Wizards of Willow (SNP Publishing)
The Happiest Day of My Life (Random House) The Perfect Gift (Random House)

Collections:
Black Dog Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital Sydney Darling Park, Sussex Street Sydney Royal Adelaide Hospital Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Hilton Group Singapore

Commissioned Work:
Hilton Hotel Singapore, Macdonalds Corporate Headquarters Singapore, Dr Martens, Mercedes, Friends of the Earth, The Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Smile Foundation, Black Dog Institute.