What lies beneath the mask?

Witness conservators and scientists turn detective as they investigate Nolan’s best-known Kelly paintings with cutting-edge imaging technologies normally reserved for crime labs and medical research. Infrared reflectography and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy will uncover hidden figures, words, and collaged elements unseen by any eyes since Nolan’s own.

Among the works under investigation are Kelly and Sgt Kennedy (1946), thought to contain buried newspaper clippings, and Kelly and Horse (1946), which may conceal earlier versions of the outlaw hero. Each scan promises new evidence into Nolan’s creative process during 1946, a pivotal year in the making of his Ned Kelly series.

This project unites Australia’s leading Nolan scholar Dr Paula Dredge (Robert Cripps Institute for Cultural Conservation), and researchers Dr Elizabeth Carter and Ms Lorraine Leung (Sydney Analytical, University of Sydney), Dr Celia Cramer (Celia Cramer Conservation) and Rebecca Dallwitz (CMAG). Their discoveries will contribute to Nolan: The Backstory, a landmark 2027 exhibition.

Timed public sessions will run every half hour across both days, with CMAG staff on hand to guide audiences through the process. With only 25 places per session, tickets are expected to sell out quickly.

This project is supported by Robert Cripps Institute for Cultural Conservation, The University of Melbourne; Sydney Analytical, a core research facility of The University of Sydney; Celia Cramer Conservation; The Australian Government.