The accusations that destroyed an Australian star’s life
Anthony Lister was once a lauded artist of international acclaim.
Galleries from New York to Milan wanted to display his work. A-list Hollywood celebrities from Hugh Jackman to Pink owned his paintings. He even had a Netflix documentary.
Lister was at the pinnacle of his career when heavily-armed police raided his Sydney home in 2020 and charged him with assaulting four women between 2015 and 2018 and tattooing one of the women without consent.
In the aftermath of his arrest, Lister’s exhibition at Wollongong Art Gallery was cancelled, and studios around the world stopped calling.
The artist, who had become a hit name abroad, maintained his innocence from the outset, and after facing two trials, he was found not guilty on all charges.
He endured three terrifying stints in jail, the result of being repeatedly refused bail while he awaited the court proceedings.
Lister invited news.com.au to his small art studio in Darlinghurst, where he reflected on the horrors of life in jail, his thoughts on his accusers, and his future plans in the art world.
