SYDNEY.- The Art Gallery of New South Wales presents the exhibit Notes from the River Caves Peter Kingston and Martin Sharp through November 19. In the halcyon days of the hippy, anti-establishment era, two Sydney artists produced images of satirical humour and pop imagery that coalesced art, theatre, music and writing in a way that was entirely unique in the history of twentieth-century Australian art. This collection installation, with some works lent by the artists, will explore the inventive genius of Peter Kingston and Martin Sharp, two of the key artists of the Yellow House.

Martin Sharp (born 1944) is an Australian artist, cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Sharp has made tremendous contributions to Australian and international culture since the early 60s, and is hailed as Australia's foremost pop artist.

The "acknowledged king of the UK poster scene in the 60s", his famous psychedelic posters of Dylan, Donovan and others rank as classics of the genre, alongside the work of Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, Hapshash & The Coloured Coat and Milton Glaser. His covers, cartoons and illustrations were a central feature of Oz magazine, both in Australia and in London. Martin also co-wrote one of Cream's most famous songs, Tales of Brave Ulysses, and in the 1970s he became a champion of singer Tiny Tim, and of Sydney's embattled Luna Park.

Martin was born in Sydney in 1944 and was educated at Cranbrook private school, where one of his teachers was the noted artist Justin O'Brien. In 1960 Martin enrolled at the National Art School at East Sydney, where began his artistic career, contributing to the shortlived student magazine The Arty Wild Oat, along with fellow artists Garry Shead and John Firth Smith. He also began submitting cartoons to The Bulletin. In 1961 he enrolled for two terms in Architecture at Sydney University before returning to the NAS.

The Yellow House was an artist's collective in Australia started by Sydney artist Martin Sharp. Between 1970 and 1973, The Yellow House, near Kings Cross, was a piece of living art and a mecca to pop art. The canvas was the house itself and almost every wall, floor and ceiling became part of the gallery. Many well-known artists helped to create the multi-media performance art space that may have been Australia’s first 24 hour-a-day ‘happening’.