Robert Kerr (Henning)

Robert Henning (1925–2003), who worked under the artistic name Robert Kerr, was a landscape painter best known for his depictions of rural and outback Australia. Born in South Africa, Henning migrated to Australia in the mid-20th century and eventually settled in Queensland. He and his wife, Anne Henning, operated the Art Display Centre on the Gold Coast from the 1960s, where his paintings were regularly shown. Although the gallery traded under the family name, his artworks were signed and exhibited under the name “Robert Kerr,” which became his recognised professional identity.

Kerr developed a steady practice of travelling through regional Queensland, New South Wales and remote inland areas, using field notes and photographs as the basis for studio paintings. His landscapes focused on small towns, ghost settlements, rural buildings, dry riverbeds and open plains. He worked mainly in oils and watercolour on board, producing clear, descriptive scenes that emphasised local architecture, wide skies and the distinct colours of inland Australia.

The State Library of Queensland holds a substantial collection of his reference photographs, sketches and biographical material, documenting his working life and the subjects that inspired him. Together, these sources show a painter committed to recording the character of everyday Australian places throughout several decades of practice.