Noel Wood

Career Wood became a sensation in Sydney early in his career, following a January 1939 exhibition of 50 paintings at the David Jones Gallery. The media began to refer to Wood as "Artist Crusoe"

Soon after World War II, Wood packaged fifty of his best paintings to exhibit in London at Leicester Galleries. The exhibition was to be opened by the British painter, Augustus John. The crate of works was despatched on Queensland Rail but went missing en route and never reached Sydney, where Wood awaited them. It was never found. While bitterly disappointed, Wood took ship to London in 1947, and he painted in England, Ireland, France and Italy, paving his way by producing portraits, until returning to Bedarra after several months in Europe.

In the 1950s, he was invited to the United States where he worked as an assistant art director in Hollywood.

Wood ultimately spent 60 years painting on Bedarra Island.

Collections Art Gallery of South Australia Heide Museum of Modern Art Queensland Art Gallery New England Regional Art Museum.

Death Noel Wood died in Tully, North Queensland, in 2001 at the age of 89.