Ben Quilty (b. 1973, Sydney) is a contemporary Australian artist whose thickly painted landscapes and portraits have garnered international acclaim. Working in a style that remains both highly expressive and naturalistic, Quilty aims to delve into the emotional qualities of places and people through his gestural application of paint. Though remains distinctive in Quilty’s vivid use of spectral color. Quilty studied at Sydney College of the Arts and the University of Western Sydney. In 2011, he notably worked as an official war artist for the Australian Defense force stationed in Afghanistan, where he depicted the daily life and struggles of the soldiers through quickly executed sketches and paintings. Quilty’s works are in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, the National Gallery of Art in Canberra, and the University of Queensland Art Museum in Brisbane, among others. The artist lives and works in Robertson, Australia.