Known for his avant-garde style, contemporary surrealist Charles Billich is one of Australia’s most prominent living artists. A prolific painter, drawer and sculptor for the past 35 years, Charles Billich works in all media forms and specialises in an impressive breadth of subject matter, including ballet, sport, architecture, portraiture, stage and classism. Born in Lovran, Croatia, much of Charles Billich’s subject matter has been shaped by his fascinating personal history. Charles’s ballet collections have been inspired by his early life as a student dancer with the Opera de Ballet in Rijeka. Also during this early period, a politically-minded Charles wrote satirical articles for a local magazine, which regrettably lead him to be sentenced to ten years in prison by the Yugoslav state. Charles was granted amnesty two years later and sought political asylum in Austria, where he went on to study art at the Yolkschocheschule, one of Salsberg’s finest art schools. Migrating to Australia as a 21-year- old in 1956, Charles continued his studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and the National Gallery School of Victoria, where he would go on to open the Billich Gallery in 1985 and establish himself as one of Australia’s best-known contemporary surrealist art exports. Throughout his career, Billich has won many high-profile awards including the Florence Biennale in 2009 and the 77th Honorary Shaolin Monk Award in Henan, China in 2004. He was also awarded the keys to the city of Atlanta during the Centennial Games in 1996. Loved for his rock star flare and irreverent style, Billich continues to captivate the imagination of collectors across the globe. With unprecedented access to astonishing venues such as the Vatican and the Cote d'Azur in Monaco, Charles Billich has amassed an impressive breadth of work. “Give me something and I am able to work with it,” he says of his ability to adapt. It is this diversity that has seen Billich’s work admired by a broad range of high profile collectors, including political leaders, celebrities and personalities. Charles Billich’s work also hangs in impressive institutions such as the White House, Vatican and United Nations headquarters making him something of an icon within the contemporary surrealist art world. Charles Billich and his wife Christa are both highly philanthropic, contributing to several important charities in Australia. Charles and Christa Billich are also passionate about fostering and nurturing young talent, which is why, in 2018, Charles will become a professor at the University of Fine Arts in China, teaching local students the art of calligraphy and oil painting.