The fourth tranche of Into the Light: Recovering Australia’s lost women artists 1870-1960 continues our journey to uncover women whose artistic contributions have slipped from view.
This year’s collection not only builds on previous publications but also highlights the complex ways fame, reputation, and memory shape how women artists are remembered… or forgotten. While the project is grounded in art history, the challenges faced by these women in maintaining a consistent career remain strikingly relevant for artists today.
This year’s collection spans impressionist, tonal, modernist, and post-war practices, including Mildred Lovett (Tasmania), Daisy Rossi (WA), Marian Barrett (Victoria), a miniature by Bernice Edwell (NSW/Victoria), three tonal works by Lesley Sinclair and Dorothy Whitehead (Victoria), modernist works by sculptor Ola Cohn (Victoria) and painters Dore Hawthorne and Elsa Russell (NSW), and a post-war painting by Polish émigré artist Lidia Groblicka (South Australia). Together, these acquisitions reveal the breadth, skill, and resilience of women artists across decades. From plein air landscapes to tonal and modernist works, this tranche expands our understanding of women’s artistic practice beyond the major metropolitan centers of Sydney and Melbourne, highlighting the contributions of artists from Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, and beyond.
Heliodore Hawthorne, Some of Grace Crowley’s Port Macquarie class 1930, oil on canvas on board, 34 x 52 cm, Into the Light Collection 2022, Sheila Foundation
The 2022 tranche engaged a talented cohort of researchers and writers, ranging from undergraduates and graduates like Bridget Hoban, Hannah Newman, and Robin Johnson, to emerging gallery professionals Steph Markerink and Alexandra Guerman, as well as feminist historian and senior librarian Barbara Lemon. Guided by Sheila’s Senior Professional Partner, Dr Juliette Peers, they received expert mentorship, participated in seminars, and contributed essays that illuminate the artists’ lives and careers. This combination of mentorship and research offers an invaluable introduction to professional art historical work in a uniquely supportive context, placing new scholarly voices before the public while expanding our understanding of women’s contributions to Australian art.
We are profoundly grateful to our donors, partners, interns, and board members whose support makes Into the Light possible. Every acquisition, essay, and research initiative contributes to a more accurate, inclusive, and vibrant history of Australian art, ensuring that the stories and works of women artists are seen, studied, and celebrated.
