Born 1938, Dimboola, Victoria.
1954-58, Studied Art at RMIT, Melbourne.
1960-80, Travelled to Europe, worked in London as a graphic designer & art director.
1981 Returned to Australia to live in Sydney and began to paint full time.

Marchant’s paintings are mainly figurative depicting people in the Australian landscape. Early subjects include his memories of growing up in the Wimmera, a farming area of Victoria.

His paintings came to prominence in 1988 when Margaret Olley judged him the winner of The Sulman Prize at The Art Gallery of NSW. More success followed when John Olsen again awarded him his second Sulman Prize in 1989.

Other prizes include The Mosman Art Prize and The Banjo Patterson Prize.
In 1996 his series of 14 paintings titled ‘The Drovers Boy’ was selected to tour regional galleries and was featured on TV in the ABC Review Program.

Bob regularly exhibits in Sydney and has had shows in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Solo exhibitions abroad include Los Angeles, Honolulu and France.

In 2001 he completed a large painting commissioned by The Australian War Museum in Canberra to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Museum opening. Other commissions include two large paintings for the foyer of The Australian Embassy in Tokyo.

Bob now lives in Bundeena in The Royal National Park, one hours drive from Sydney, where he shares a studio with his wife, ceramic artist, Inger Marchant.

SOLO EXHIBITONS

2013 - Red Earth Series, Australian Galleries Sydney

2012 - The Drovers Boy, Hugh Sawrey Gallery, Longreach, QLD
2008 - The First 70 Years, Australian Galleries, Sydney
2005 - Maunsell Wicks Gallery, Sydney
         - Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne
2004 - The Drovers Boy Series, Hazlehurst Regional Gallery, Sydney
         - Maunsell Wicks Gallery, Sydney
2002-03 - Galerie Aalders, La Garde Freinet, France
2001 - Australian Galleries, Sydney
1998-99 - Australian Galleries, Sydney
1997 - Michael Nagy Fine Art Gallery, Melbourne
1996 - Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1995 - Regional Galleries Travelling Exhibition
         - The Drovers Boy Series, Sponsor Gallery
         - Broken Hill City Gallery
1992-93 - Moross Studio Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
1992 - Mulgara Gallery, Sheraton Hotel, Uluru
         - Australian Naïve Gallery, Sydney
         - Greenhill Gallery, Adelaide
1991 - Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney
         - Merrill Chase Galleries, Honolulu, USA
         - Green Hill Gallery, Perth
1998-90 - The Moore Park Gallery, Sydney
1985 - Boronia House, Sydney

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SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITONS

2017 - Gallipoli Art Prize (finalist) Gallipoli Memorial Club, Sydney

2011 - Works On Paper (finalist), Hazlehurst Regional Gallery, Sydney
         - Sulman Prize (finalist), Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
         - The Outback Prize (finalist), Winton, Queensland
         - The Cricket Prize (finalist), Sydney Cricket Ground
2009 - The Cricket Prize (finalist), Sydney Cricket Ground
2008 - Group Exhibition, Australian Galleries, Sydney
2007 - Maunsell Wicks Gallery, Sydney
2005 - Maunsell Wicks Gallery, Sydney
2004 - Maunsell Wicks Gallery, Sydney
2000 - Fine Paintings, Sculpture & Tapestry, Australian Galleries, Sydney
         - Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1999 - The Sulman Prize (finalist), Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
         - Fine Paintings, Sculpture & Tapestry, Australian Galleries, Sydney
         - Christmas Show, Australian Galleries, Sydney
1998 - Mosman Art Prize, Sydney
         - Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1995 - Naïve Art, Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney
         - The Mary McKillop Exhibition, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
1994 - Saints and Sacred Places, The Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney
         - The Sulman Prize (finalist), Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
1993 - Broken Hill Outback Prize (finalist)
1992 - Australian Naïve Gallery, Sydney
1991 - Blake Prize (finalist), Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
1990 - Amnesty Exhibition, Painters Gallery, Sydney
         - Alice Prize (finalist), Alice Springs
         - Blake Prize (finalist), Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
         - The Max Fourney Museum of Naïve Art, Paris France
         - Queensland House, London, England
         - Australian Naïve Gallery, Sydney

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PRIZES

1994 - Banjo Patterson Art Prize, Winton, Queensland
1992 - Mosman Art Prize, Sydney
1989 - The Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
1988 - The Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney

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RESIDENCIES

1995 - Art Trail, Broken Hill City Gallery
1992 - Mulgara Gallery, Uluru

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COMMISSIONS

2003 - The Australian Open Tennis Championships, Melbourne
2002 - Parsons Creek Vineyard, Milbrodale
2001 - The Australian War Memorial, Canberra
2000 - RTA Noise Wall Design, Princes Hwy Sutherland, Sydney
1990 - The Australian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2001 - Wimmera Boy, Gavin Fry, Australian Galleries
2000 - A Darn Good Yarn in Paint, Gabrielle Dalton, Artist Palette, Vol. 9
1999 - Expanse – Different ways of seeing Australian Landscape, Sarah Thomas,
         - Art & Australia, Volume 36
         - Australia Day & The Long Weekend, Gavin Fry, Australian Galleries
1997 - Painting the Wimmera, John Newtown, Crafts Arts International
1995 - The Drovers Boy Series of Paintings, Marchant, Egan & Evans
            Mary McKillop: A Tribute, Honeysett Press
1994 - Taking a naïve view of the world, Greig Weight, Australian Artist
1990 - Bob Marchants True Colours, Erica Robinson, Country Style

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COLLECTIONS

Australian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Parliament House, Canberra
Broken Hill Regional Gallery, NSW
Horsham Regional Gallery, VIC
University of Darwin, NT

Marchants work is represented in private collections in Australia, England, USA, Singapore, Denmark and France.