Chris O’Doherty aka Reg Mombassa

Chris O’Doherty aka Reg Mombassa

B. 1951

Pines and Mountains, Lake Wakatipu, 2019, charcoal, coloured pencil on paper, 285 x 420 mm $3500

Ridgelines viewed from Lake Hayes, Queenstown (2025), charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 285 x 415 mm $3800

View from the lodge, Waiheke Island (2014) charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 420 x 590 mm $4500

Trunks and stumps after a fire (King's highway NSW), 2022, charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 315 x 350 mm $2600

Nocture with doomsday clock, 2022, charcoal and coloured pencil on paper, 470 x 360 mm $3000

Gums Banksias and Doomsday Clock 2021, ink and watercolour on paper, 520 x 510 mm $3600 (framed)

Limited edition prints

Artist Biography

Chris O’Doherty, aka Reg Mombassa, was born in 1951, in Auckland, New Zealand, but migrated with his family to Sydney in 1969. He graduated with a Diploma of Art from the National Art School, Sydney, in 1977.

Chris was a member of the band Mental as Anything from 1976 to 2000, and joined the band in 2026 to celebrate the release of the feature documentary Live it Up: The Mental as Anything Story with a 50th anniversary national (Australian) tour. In 1996, for their album Liar Liar Pants on Fire, which featured Chris’ artwork, Mental as Anything won the ARIA Award for Best Cover Art. In 2009, the band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Chris continues to play in the band Dog Trumpet with his brother, Peter.

Chris has also had a rich career as a visual artist. He has gained worldwide recognition for his work as a designer for Australian clothing label Mambo, as well as for his iconic ‘Australian Jesus’ series. His work has featured in solo and group exhibitions in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, USA, France, Britain, China, and Thailand. He has held numerous significant survey shows throughout Australia. In 2000, he designed stages and large inflatables for the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.

His art is included in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Powerhouse Museum, Melbourne Museum, National Art School, Macquarie University Gallery, University of Sydney Union, The British Museum, and many other private and institutional collections.

A biography, The Life and Times of Reg Mombassa, written by Murray Waldren, was published by Harper Collins in 2009, and The Landscapes of Reg Mombassa was published by Hardie Grant Books in 2016.

Reg Mombassa studio

Solo Exhibitions

Group Exhibitions