The person in the middle of the painting is surely a typical Aussie who doesn’t know what to make of the turmoil around him, former prime minister Tony Abbott speculated in 1993.
Others said it was “spring”.
Some were sure “he” was Paul Keating.
But only one person in the world knows who the three figures represent: Sydney-based artist Martin Shaw.
Shaw’s Three Well Known Australians painting has been touring the nation since 1983, stopping in each state once every 10 years.
It’s on exhibition at Williamstown library until April 30.
The painting encourages people to use their creativity and imagination to work out who the figures are … or what they represent.
Shaw says he receives extraordinary feedback and suggestions, but he won’t disclose whether anyone has ever guessed correctly.
“It gets people to use their imagination and when people write their predictions, it’s a bit of a social commentary of the time,” he says.
“The same painting has been touring since 1983 and it’s interesting to see what people write.”
