Lloyd Rees is known for his landscapes celebrating the area around Sydney and the south coast and for his masterly drawings. He was born in Brisbane on 17 March 1895 and studied art at Brisbane’s Central Technical College. He moved to Sydney in 1917 and then worked as a commercial artist for Smith & Julius Studios. For 40 years, between 1946 and 1986, Rees taught Art at Sydney University’s Faculty of Architecture, which gave him the freedom to paint without being concerned about sales. He made many trips to Europe, and was particularly inspired by the French and Italian countryside.