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An image of Dame Mary Gilmore by William Dobell

William Dobell

(Australia, England 24 Sep 1899–13 May 1970)

Title
Dame Mary Gilmore
Year
1957
Media category
Painting
Materials used
oil on hardboard
Dimensions

90.2 x 73.7cm board; 105.1 x 88.6 x 6.5cm frame

Signature & date
Signed l.r. corner, orange oil "DOBELL". Not dated.
Credit
Gift of Dame Mary Gilmore 1960
Accession number
OA28.1960
Copyright
© Courtesy Sir William Dobell Art Foundation.
Location
Not on display
Further information

"I want to say how proud I am that you want to make a sketch of me. You are the only painter we have, perhaps the only one we ever had, whose work has its ghosts behind it ..."
- Dame Mary Gilmore 1943

"The painting is far more important than the sitter. This painting will still be carrying my identity when my own work is forgotten."
- Dame Mary Gilmore 1957

Dame Mary Gilmore (1865-1962) was a distinguished humanitarian, poet, left-wing political activist and social reformer, who became part of a network of writers and artists, including Dobell, who lived in Kings Cross, Sydney following the war. This portrait, typically developed through many sketches and studies, is perhaps the most profound of his many commissioned portraits during the last years of his life.

Australian Art Department, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2000

Bibliography (37)

Elizabeth Donaldson (Australia) (Author), Robert Donaldson (Author), William Dobell: his life, art and home, New South Wales, 2011, 77, 78 (illus., detail), 79, 94 (colour illus.), 134. NOTE: Photograph on page 78 has Dame Mary Gilmore standing infront of Dobell's portrait.

'William Dobell: An artist's life' by John Kelly, pg. 44-45., Art Monthly Australia Nov 2010, Nov 2010, 45 (colour illus.). Review of Elizabeth Donaldson book on Dobell.

Anne Gray (Australia, b.1947) (Author), Face: Australian portraits 1880-1960, Canberra, 2010, 20, 21 (colour illus.).

Elizabeth Donaldson (Australia) (Author), William Dobell: an artist's life, New South Wales, 2010, 66, 69, 132, 133 (colour illus.), 134 (illus.), 135, 195 (colour illus.). NOTE: Photograph on page 34 has Dame Mary Gilmore standing infront of Dobell's portrait.

Joan Kerr (Australia, b.1938, d.2004) (Author), A singular voice: essays on Australian art and architecture, Sydney, 2009, 77 (illus.).

'Chapter 4. Australian Art at auction: the 1960s market' by Shireen Huda, pg. 55-77., Pedigree and panache: a history of the art auction in Australia 2008, 2008, 62.

'Dame Mary Gilmore', pg. 188-193., Currency lads & lasses: behind the faces on Australian banknotes 2004, 2004, 192 (colour illus.).

'Family comes first', pg. 56., Australian readers: discovering democracy 2002, 2002, 57 (colour illus.). Upper Secondary school text book. Includes the poem 'Nationality' by Dame Mary Gilmore.

'Yours sincerely: William Dobell' by Judith White, pg. 56-59., Australian art collector Apr 2000-Jun 2000, Apr 2000-Jun 2000, 58 (colour illus.), 59.

'With heads held high' by Tony Bonyhady, pg. 14-16., The Australian's Review of Books Jun 1999, Jun 1999, 15 (colour illus.).

'The possibilities of a National Portrait gallery' by Joan Kerr, pg. 2-8., Art Monthly Australia Apr 1999, Apr 1999, 7 (illus.), 8.

Peter Ross (Australia) (Author), Let's face it: the history of the Archibald Prize, Sydney, 1999, 51 (colour illus.).

National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House] (Australia, estab. 1994, closed 2008) (Editor), The Possibilities of Portraiture, Canberra, 1999, 7 (colour illus.).

Mary Eagle (Australia, b.1944) (Author), Lola Wilkins (Australia) (Author), A tribute to William Dobell, Canberra, 1999, 14, 17.

Desmond O'Shaughnessy (Author), Art and medicine: reminiscences & reflections of a retiring surgeon, Melbourne, 1999, 87.

Robert Raymond (Australia, b.1922) (Author), 52 views of Rudy Komon, Sydney, 1999, 46 (illus.). NOTE: There is a black and white photograph of Rudy Komon and Dame Mary Gilmore infront of this painting.

Yve Close (Australia) (Author), Joshua Smith: artist 1905-1995, New South Wales, 1998, 83.

Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Hendrik Kolenberg (Netherlands; Australia) (Author), Peter Raissis (Australia) (Author), Prue Davidson (Australia) (Author), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Author), William Dobell - the painter's progress, Sydney, 1997, 74, 110, 114, 115 (colour illus.), 144. cat.no. 39a

William Dobell: the painters progress 1997, 1997, (illus.).

Touchdown School Magazine Jul 1994, Jul 1994, (illus.).

Ewen McDonald (Australia) (Editor), The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections, Sydney, 1994, 48, 49 (colour illus.).

Julian Faigan (Australia) (Author), Uncommon Australians: towards an Australian portrait gallery, Sydney, 1992, 95 (colour illus.).

James Gleeson (Australia, b.1915, d.2008) (Author), The drawings of William Dobell in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1992, 10, 13.

Annabel Davie (Editor), Art Gallery of New South Wales Handbook, Domain, 1988, 26, 27 (illus.).

Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Patrick McCaughey (Northern Ireland; Australia, b.1943) (Author), Twentieth century Australian masterworks from the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Fred Williams Pilbara Series, Tokyo, 1985, 31 (colour illus.). cat.no. 14

Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Editor), Jan Meek (Australia) (Editor), Portrait of a Gallery, Sydney, 1984, 77 (colour illus.), 76.

Peter Haynes (Australia) (Compilator), Famous people: a selective who's who from works in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1981, 6 (illus.).

Kym Bonython (Australia, b.1920) (Author), Ross K Luck (Australia, active 1967) (Author), Laurie Thomas (Australia, b.1915, d.1974) (Author), Elwyn Lynn (Australia, b.1917, d.1997) (Author), Modern Australian painting, 1950/1975, Adelaide, 1980, frontispiece (colour illus.).

William Splatt (Author), Barbara Burton (Author), 100 masterpieces of Australian painting, Adelaide, 1973, 178, 179 (colour illus.). plate no. 86

'Acquisitions for 1960', pg. 58-67., Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly Apr 1961, Apr 1961, 58, 60 (illus.), 61.

Laurie Thomas (Australia, b.1915, d.1974) (Author), Kym Bonython (Australia, b.1920) (Compilator), Modern Australian painting and sculpture: a survey of Australian art from 1950-1960, Adelaide, 1960, 35 (colour illus.).

Hal Missingham (Australia, b.1906, d.1994) (Author), William Dobell, Brisbane, 1959. cat.no. 64; Late Inclusions: The portrait was commissioned by the Australian Book Society on the occasion of Dame Mary's 90th birthday, 16/8/55. It is kindly lent by the Society

'Artbursts: Archibald and Wynne' by Geoffrey Dutton., Bulletin 18 Dec 1957, 18 Dec 1957, page unknown. Archibald Prize review.

'Painters and paintings by the "Mirror" art critic'., Daily Mirror 12 Dec 1957, 12 Dec 1957, page unknown. Archibald Prize review.

'The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Art Prizes' by Our Art Critic., The Sydney Morning Herald 12 Dec 1957, 12 Dec 1957, page unknown. Archibald Prize review.

'Art's "anemia": Prize "not to best portrait"', by James Gleeson., Sun 12 Dec 1957, 12 Dec 1957, page unknown. Archibald Prize review.

'Hele wins again: this year's Archibald'., Sun 11 Dec 1957, 11 Dec 1957, page unknown. Archibald Prize review.

Exhibition history (19)

The art of William Dobell (1959), Finney's Art Gallery, 11 Aug 1959–11 Sep 1959.

Contemporary Australian art (1960), Charles Birks & Co., 14 Mar 1960 -.

Purchases and Acquisitions for 1960, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 22 Mar 1961–23 Apr 1961.

William Dobell: Paintings from 1926 - 1964 (1964), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 15 Jul 1964–30 Aug 1964.

Twentieth century Australian masterworks from the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Fred Williams Pilbara series from the collection of CRA Limited, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, 04 Oct 1985–06 Nov 1985.

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.

William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Art Gallery of New South Wales, 14 Feb 1997–27 Apr 1997.

William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Newcastle Region Art Gallery, 07 May 1997–06 Jul 1997.

William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Museum of Modern Art at Heide, 29 Jul 1997–21 Sep 1997.

William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Queensland Art Gallery, 25 Oct 1997–07 Dec 1997.

William Dobell the painter's progress (1997-1998), Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, 08 Jan 1998–01 Mar 1998.

The possibilities of Portraiture, National Portrait Gallery [Old Parliament House], 04 Mar 1999–20 Jun 1999.

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

(Focus on William Dobell's 'Dame Mary Gilmore'), Queensland Art Gallery, 17 Jun 2002–02 Oct 2002.

Kings Cross - Bohemian Sydney, Elizabeth Bay House, 31 May 2003–21 Sep 2003.