Studio portrait, Chelsea, 1915 by Norah Simpson ::

Details

Other Title

Self portrait 1911

Place where the work was made

Chelsea → London → England

Date

(1915)

Media category

Painting

Materials used

oil on canvas

Dimensions

50.8 x 40.7 cm stretcher; 62.7 x 52.7 x 5.0 cm frame

Signature & date

Not signed. (Not dated?).

Credit

Purchased 1960

Location

20th-century galleries (ground floor)

Accession number

OA22.1960

Copyright

Reproduction requests

Artist information

Norah Simpson

Works in the collection

1

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About

Norah Simpson is credited with playing an important role in the introduction of post-impressionism to Australia, although she is an unfamiliar figure in Australia – she moved permanently to Europe in 1915 and subsequently ceased painting.

On a prior visit to London in 1912, she had met members of the Camden Town Group – a group of post-impressionist artists – and saw first-hand in Paris works by Cézanne, Matisse, van Gogh and Picasso. On her return to Australia in 1913, she brought reproductions and books dealing with post-impressionist and cubist work to her art classes with Italian artist–teacher Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo, where they had a powerful effect on Simpson’s fellow students Roland Wakelin, Grace Cossington Smith and Roy de Maistre – particularly influencing their use of colour.

Exhibition history

Shown in 5 exhibitions

Purchases and Acquisitions for 1960, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 Mar 1961–23 Apr 1961
Australian Painters Seeing Cézanne, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 28 Nov 1998–17 Jan 1999
The Edwardians: Secrets and Desire, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 12 Mar 2004–13 Jun 2004

The Edwardians: Secrets and Desire, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 09 Jul 2004–12 Sep 2004
Sydney Moderns, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 06 Jul 2013–07 Oct 2013
20th-Century galleries Rehang (Ground Level), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 20 Aug 2022–2023

Bibliography

Referenced in 18 publications

Janine Burke, Australian women artists 1840-1940, Collingwood, 1980, 42, 43, 140 (colour illus.), 178. plate no. 67
Jasmin Dessmann and Deborah Edwards, Sydney moderns: art for a new world, 'The lost moderns: Tempe Manning, Niel A Gren and Norah Simpson', pg. 38-41, Sydney, 2013, 38, 41 (colour illus.), 315.
Deborah Edwards, Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Moderns', pg. 103-104, Sydney, 2000, 103, 112 (colour illus.), 302.
Anna Gray, The Cambridge companion to Australian Art, 'Australian artists within a wider world 1900-1930', pg. 84-96, Port Melbourne, 2011, 89.
Anne Gray, The Edwardians: secrets and desires, 'The Edwardians', pg. 10-71, Canberra, 2004, 29, 227 (colour illus.). cat.no. 127
Lesley Harding, Art and Australia (Vol. 36, No. 4), 'Tempe Manning: the lost modernist', pg. 532-537, Sydney, 1999, 532 (colour illus.).
Bruce James, Grace Cossington Smith, 'The knitter', pg. 26-36, Sydney, 1990, 29, 30 (colour illus.). plate no. 3
Ursula Prunster (Curator), Australian painters; Seeing Cézanne, Sydney, 1998, 31. cat.no. 34
Bernard William Smith and Terry Smith, Australian painting 1788-1990, 'Leviticus 1913-32', pg. 167-204, South Melbourne, 1991, 171, 172 (illus.), 560. illus. no. 98
Susannah Smith, Look, 'Women's work: their diverse and significant contribution to the modernist art scene', pg. 13-15, Sydney, Aug 2013, 14, 15 (colour illus.).
Virginia Spate, Art Monthly Australia, 'Amazing Grace: Thoughts inspired by the Grace Cossington Smith exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra', pg. 22-30, Canberra, Aug 2005, 23.
Catherine Stuart and Paul Finucane, Odd roads to be walking: 156 women who shaped Australian art, Cork, 2019, 182 (colour illus.).
Daniel Thomas, Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly, 'Grace Cossington Smith', pg. 510-521, Sydney, Jan 1970, 512 (illus.).
Daniel Thomas, Grace Cossington Smith, 'Modernity and inwards', pg. 102-107, Canberra, 2005, 103.
Roland Wakelin, Art Gallery of New South Wales Quarterly, 'Post Impressionism in Sydney: Some personal recollections', pg. 91-95, Sydney, Jan 1962, 91, 92 (illus.).
Donald Williams, In our own image: the story of Australian art, Sydney, 2002, 90, 91 (colour illus.).
Donald Williams, In our own image: the story of Australian art, Sydney, 1995, 99 (colour illus.).
J.F. Williams', Art and Australia, 'Modernism & the lost generation', pg. 52-57, Sydney, Spring 1991, 56 (colour illus.).