Skip to content

An image of Self portrait by Margaret Preston
Alternate image of Self portrait by Margaret Preston

Margaret Preston

(Australia, England, France 29 Apr 1875–28 May 1963)

Title
Self portrait
Year
1930
Media category
Painting
Materials used
oil on canvas
Dimensions

61.3 x 51.1cm stretcher; 74.3 x 64.2 x 6.5cm frame

Signature & date
Signed and dated l.l. corner, pencil "Margaret Preston/30".
Credit
Gift of the artist at the request of the Trustees 1930
Accession number
937
Copyright
© AGNSW
Location
Not on display
Further information

Margaret Preston painted this portrait in 1930 at the request of the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She confessed she was thrilled to receive the commission to paint what was, for her, an untested subject. As she later pointed out, ‘… my self-portrait is completed, but I am a flower painter – I am not a flower’. In a work as carefully designed and as uncompromising as the artist’s still-lifes, Preston identifies and separates the essentials of her art: her brush and palette and a pot of wildflowers, a favourite subject, on the sill behind her.

Bibliography (46)

Anne Gray (Australia, b.1947) (Author), Face: Australian portraits 1880-1960, Canberra, 2010, 92 (colour illus.).

'The Preston question' by Sasha Grishin, pg. 8-9., The Canberra times 25 Sep 2005, 25 Sep 2005, 8 (illus.). 'Relax' lift out from Sunday edition.

'Margaret Preston' by Deborah Edwards, pg. 103-107., Art and Australia (Vol. 43, No. 1) Sep 2005-Nov 2005, Sep 2005-Nov 2005, 105 (colour illus.).

'Margaret Preston' by Tristan Sharp, pg. 4-5., Teaching history Mar 2005, Mar 2005, front cover (colour illus.).

'Portrait of a lady' by Georgina Pemberton, pg. 128-129., H&H: Hoofs & horns Autumn 2005, Autumn 2005, 128 (colour illus.).

Rosemary Lloyd (United States of America, active 2005) (Author), Shimmering in a transformed light: writing the still life, Ithaca, 2005, 126, 127 (illus.), 129. figure no. 13

Roger Butler (Australia, b.1948) (Author), The prints of Margaret Preston: a catalogue raisonné, Canberra, 2005, 23 (colour illus.), 35.

Deborah Edwards (Australia) (Author), Margaret Preston, Sydney, 2005, 147, 148, 149 (colour illus.), 266.

Margaret Preston: Catalogue raisonné of paintings, monotypes and ceramics 2005, 2005, (colour illus.). Artworks: paintings 1930.

'To look within: Self portraits in Australia at the University of Queensland Art Museum' by Timothy Morrell, pg. 26-29., Art Monthly Australia Jul 2004, Jul 2004, 27.

Ross Searle (Australia) (Author), Andrew Sayers (Australia, b.1957) (Author), To look within: self portraits in Australia, Brisbane, 2004, 18, 19 (colour illus.).

'Margaret Rose Preston', pg. 547-563., The complete book of great Australian women: thirty-six women who changed the course of Australia 2003, 2003, 547 (illus.), 557.

Katrina Cashman (Australia) (Author), Margaret Preston in Mosman, Mosman, 2002, (colour illus.). not paginated; no catalogue numbers

'Objects in the mirror: gendering the still life' by Rosemary Lloyd, pg. 39-55., Yearbook of comparative and general literature [Vol. 49, 2001] 2002, 2002, 47, 53 (illus.).

'Margaret Presont (1875-1963), Artist', pg. 106., S.A.'s greats: the men and women of the North Terrace plaques 2001, 2001, 106 (illus.).

Exhibitions events - Art Gallery of New South Wales Aug 2000-Oct 2000, Aug 2000-Oct 2000, 6 (colour illus., detail), 7.

'Australian Icons at the Art Gallery of New South Wales', pg, 4-5., Australian artist Aug 2000, Aug 2000, 5 (colour illus.).

Lou Klepac (Australia; Croatia, b.1936) (Author), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Bruce James (Australia) (Author), John McDonald (Australia, b.1961) (Author), Peter Pinson (Australia, b.1943) (Author), Gavin Fry (Author), Sasha Grishin AM (Australia) (Author), Deborah Hart (South Africa; United Kingdom; Australia, b.1959) (Author), Australian painters of the twentieth century, Roseville, 2000, 24.

Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Domain, 2000, 104, 121 (colour illus.), 301.

'The possibilities of a National Portrait Gallery' by Joan Kerr, pg. 4-8., Art Monthly Australia Apr 1999, Apr 1999, 7.

National Portrait Gallery 1999, 1999, (colour illus.).

Drusilla Modjeska (Author), Stravinsky's lunch, Sydney, 1999, 191 (illus.), 192,.

Mouse Art: Creating Art On The Computer 1998, 1998, plate no. 5 (colour illus.). NOTE: between pages 56-57

Ros Pesman (Author), Duty Free - Australian Women Abroad, Sydney, 1996.

Art In Sight 1996, 1996, 141, 144, 145, 149, 151, 155, 171.

Robert Holden (Author), Cover Up: The art of magazine covers in Australia, Sydney, 1995, 21, 26-27, 95.

Author Unknown (Author), South Australian Women Artists: 1890s - 1940s, Apr 1994, 11 (colour illus.). figure no. 11

Julian Faigan (Australia) (Author), Uncommon Australians: towards an Australian portrait gallery, Sydney, 1992, 89 (colour illus). plate no. 56

Roger Butler (Australia, b.1948) (Author), Dana Rowan (Editor), Judith Thorne (Editor), The prints of Margaret Preston: a catalogue raisonné, Canberra, 1987, 17 (illus.).

Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Author), Ursula Prunster (Australia) (Author), Face to face: Australian portraits, Sydney, 1986, (colour illus.). cat.no. 6

Elizabeth Butel (Author), Nicholas Draffin (Australia, b.1943, d.1995) (Researcher), Margaret Preston: the art of constant rearrangement, Ringwood, 1985, 43 (colour illus.), 86. cat.no. O.10

Janine Burke (Australia, b.1952) (Author), Australian women artists 1840-1940, Collingwood, 1980, 136 (colour illus.), 175. plate no. 63

Ian North (New Zealand; Australia, b.1945) (Author), The art of Margaret Preston, South Australia, 1980, 25 (colour illus.), 48 (illus.). cat.no. O.28

Humphrey McQueen (Author), The black swan of trespass: the emergence of Modernist painting in Australia to 1944, Sydney, 1979, 153, (colour illus.). plate no. I

Jude Adams (Author), Barbara Hall (Author), Jennifer Barber (Author), Project 21: Women's images of women, Sydney, 1977, 2-3. cat.no. 31; Collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Ewing and George Paton Galleries (Australia) (Author), Australian women artists: One hundred years 1840-1940, Melbourne, 1975, 28. cat.no. 48

Women's Council of the National Gallery and Cultural Centre (Australia, estab. 1953, closed 1969) (Author), Some interesting Australians: a loan collection of portraits, Melbourne, 1967. cat.no. 64; not paginated

'Paintings by the hundred' by Alan McCulloch, pg. 24., The Sydney Morning Herald 11 Sep 1963, 11 Sep 1963, 24 (illus.).

'Margaret Preston' by Hal Missingham, pg. 90-98., Art and Australia [series 5, vol. 1, no. 2] Aug 1963, Aug 1963, 92, 93 (illus.).

Hal Missingham (Australia, b.1906, d.1994) (Author), Artists by artists, Sydney, 1954, 20, 60 (illus.). cat.no. 57

National Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Margaret Preston (Australia; England; France, b.1875, d.1963) (Author), Exhibition of Australian women painters, Domain, 1946. cat.no. 27; titled 'Self portrait'

William Moore (Australia, b.1868, d.1937) (Author), The story of Australian art from the earliest known art of the continent to the art of today (Vol. 1), Sydney, 1934, (illus.).

'Woman painter honoured' pg. 6., The Sydney Morning Herald 09 Apr 1930, 09 Apr 1930, (illus.).

Art in Australia [series 3, no. 31] Mar 1930, Mar 1930, (illus.). cat.no. 65

Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales: Minutes 20.12.1929-11.5.1937 1929-1937, 1929-1937, 1103 (20 December 1929), 1119 (28 February 1940).

Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales: Minutes 25.5.1923-28.11.1929 1923-1929, 1923-1929, 1094-1095 (22 November 1929).

Exhibition history (23)

Exhibition of Australian women painters, National Art Gallery of New South Wales, 04 Aug 1946–18 Aug 1946.

Artists by artists (1954), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 04 Nov 1954–05 Dec 1954.

Some interesting Australians: A loan collection of portraits, Georges Gallery, 08 Aug 1967–26 Aug 1967.

Project 21 - Womens images of women (1977), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 15 Oct 1977–13 Nov 1977.

Face to face: Australian portraits, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 1986–1986.

Uncommon Australians: Towards an Australian Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria [St Kilda Road], 06 May 1992–28 Jun 1992.

Uncommon Australians: Towards an Australian Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Australia, 10 Jul 1992–09 Aug 1992.

Uncommon Australians: Towards an Australian Portrait Gallery, Queensland Art Gallery, 25 Aug 1992–20 Sep 1992.

Uncommon Australians: Towards an Australian Portrait Gallery, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 22 Oct 1992–22 Nov 1992.

Uncommon Australians: Towards an Australian Portrait Gallery, Art Gallery of South Australia, 03 Dec 1992–31 Jan 1993.

South Australian Women Artists: 1890s - 1940s, Art Gallery of South Australia, 15 Apr 1994–17 Jul 1994.

Cover up: the art of magazine covers in Australia, Hyde Park Barracks, 19 May 1995–13 Aug 1995.

Cover up: the art of magazine covers in Australia, The George Adams Gallery, Victorian Arts Centre, 31 Aug 1995–08 Oct 1995.

Cover up: the art of magazine covers in Australia, National Library of Australia, 26 Oct 1995–31 Oct 1996.

Inaugural permanent display, National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House], 04 Mar 1999–04 Mar 2000.

Australian icons: twenty artists from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 04 Aug 2000–03 Dec 2000.

Margaret Preston in Mosman, Mosman Art Gallery, 07 Sep 2002–13 Oct 2002.

To look within: Self portraits in Australia, University of Queensland Art Museum, 16 Apr 2004–20 Jun 2004.

To look within: Self portraits in Australia, National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House], 09 Jul 2004–19 Sep 2004.

Margaret Preston retrospective, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 29 Jul 2005–23 Oct 2005.

Margaret Preston retrospective, Queensland Art Gallery, 18 Feb 2006–07 May 2006.

Australian modern masterpieces from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, 05 Oct 2011–27 Nov 2011.

Australian modern masterpieces from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, 10 Dec 2011–04 Mar 2012.