# Anthony Lister

Anthony Lister (born 1979) is a contemporary Australian artist. Lister helped pioneer the street art movement in his home city Brisbane as a teenager, and later in the inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. His artistic style employs charcoal, acrylic, spray paint, and oil. His exhibitions include those held at the Urban Spree Gallery in Berlin, Robert Fontaine Gallery in Miami, Allouche Gallery in New York, Olsen Gallery in Sydney, and Black Art Projects in Melbourne.

## Early life and education

Anthony Lister was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1979. As a child he was influenced by his grandmother, who used to take him to art galleries. She also taught him to paint, and showed him the work of Brett Whitely and Arthur Streeton at her home.
He attended Queensland College of Art, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts .

## Artistic career

Shortly after graduating, Lister travelled to New York, where he found mentorship under influential New Zealand artist Max Gimblett.
Lister has since exhibited his work extensively within Australia and internationally both in the gallery and on the streets, notably with Bogan Paradise, a three-story exhibition in a disused sex shop in Sydney 2011, Los Angeles solo exhibition curated by Roger Gatsman 2011, Los Angeles solo show New Image Art 2011 and Unslung Heros, The Outsiders/Lazarides Gallery, London and Newcastle, UK 2012.
As of 2007 Lister's work presents fusion of culture, with influences from a number of areas and genres, including street art, expressionism, pop art, and contemporary youth culture.
He is notable within the Lowbrow art movement and has been featured on Juxtapoz, Vogue Australia, Wooster Collective and Highsnobiety. Commercially, Lister has worked with various international fashion, lifestyle and technological brands such as Hermès, The Standard Hotel, Westfield, Vogue Australia, Samsung, and Mercedes-Benz. He has also collaborated with many well-known artists and personalities, including Blek le Rat, Space Invader, Mark "Chopper" Read and Nick Cave.

## Collections

Lister's work is included in the collections of National Gallery of Australia, David Roberts Collection, TVS Partnership, Brand & Slater Architects, Brisbane Grammar School, BHP Collection and Artbank.

## In film

Documentary-maker Eddie Martin released a short film about Lister's career in 2017 titled 'Have You Seen the Listers?'

## Legal case

Lister was arrested in 2020, accused of drugging and raping several young women. Police seized replica pistols, drugs, and electronics. He was refused bail. He was granted conditional bail in the Central Local Court in Sydney.
In October 2024, Lister was found not guilty by a jury on four out of nine charges. The jury did not reach a verdict on the other five charges, and a retrial was scheduled for 2025. His identity was subject to a suppression order until 12 December 2024, when his name was revealed and published in news outlets.
The suppression order was implemented in 2020 after Lister received death threats. During the 2024 trial the media referred to Lister only as an unnamed "high-profile Sydney man" and was not permitted to publish other details that could potentially identify him. The judge who lifted the suppression order in December 2024 disagreed with characterising Lister as high-profile and suggested that he reduce his online presence to avoid further threats.