Chris O'Doherty b. 1951

Also known as Reg Mombassa
  • Artist
Contemporary musician, cartoonist, illustrator, designer and painter.
Talk | Version history | Updated Oct. 19, 2011 | Created Jan. 1, 1996
Name
Chris O'Doherty
Also known as Reg Mombassa
Birth date
1951
Gender
Male
Roles
  • Artist
Other Occupation
  • Designer
  • Musician
Arrival
  • 1969
Active Period
  • c.1975- c.2006
Cultural Heritage
  • New Zealander
Languages
  • English
Training
  • Alexander Mackie CAE (College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales), Sydney, NSW
Is Indigenous
No
Initial Record Data Source
  • Black and white artists

painter, cartoonist, illustrator and designer, is a New Zealander who came to Australia, attended the College of Fine Arts (UNSW) and became a designer for the highly successful design group Mambo. As Reg Mombassa, he has produced several very colourful, surreal and sexy publications (see SLNSW catalogue). A Mambo retrospective was held at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery in 2000. (an apocalyptic Mombassa colour print avaialble there containing numerous Bosch and other art historical references.) Mambo designed the Sydney 2000 Olympic opening ceremony uniforms for the Australian team; the jacket linings featured a Mombassa design. The firm also did the surreal vehicles and shapes that dominated the Olympic Closing Ceremony.

As a painter, O’Doherty is represented by Watters Gallery, Sydney. His work was included in John McDonald’s Federation at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra in 2001 (and travelling).

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Writers:
Kerr, Joan
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007
associate of
Martin Plaza
Non-Artist/Designer/Curator
associate of
Greedy Smith
Non-Artist/Designer/Curator
associate of
Bird David Twohill
Non-Artist/Designer/Curator
associate of
Hugh Ramage
Maker
None
Peter King
Maker
sibling of
Peter O'Doherty
1958
Artist, Artist (Draughtsman), Artist (Painter)
associate of
Peter O'Doherty
1958
Artist, Artist (Draughtsman), Artist (Painter)
also known as Reg Mombassa
associate of
Mental as Anything
Non-Artist/Designer/Curator
associate of
Mambo
Non-Artist/Designer/Curator
associate of
Reg & Pete's Dog Trumpet
Non-Artist/Designer/Curator
associate of
Storageman
Non-Artist/Designer/Curator
None
Courtesy of: Eva Breuer Art Dealer
Part of a Motel
Medium
Acrylic on board
12.5 x 23cm
Collections
Leaping Boundaries - A century of New Zealand Artists in Australia
2001
Exhibition (exhibited at)
Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman, Sydney, NSW
Federation
2001
Exhibition ()
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
Mambo retrospective
2000
Exhibition (exhibited at)
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst, NSW
Citations:
  • McDonald, John, (2001), Federation, (Place: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT)
  • Hill, Kendall, (15 August 2000), An opening ceremony with that Mambo look, (Place: Sydney Morning Herald)
  • Gardiner, Sue (curator), (2001), Leaping Boundaries - A century of New Zealand Artists in Australia, (Place: Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman, NSW)