Grace Cossington Smith

Grace Cossington Smith OBE (1892-1984) was an artist who was at the forefront of the Australian modernist movement. Born and educated in Sydney, she studied drawing with Dattilo Rubbo at the Royal Art Society of New South wales between 1910 and 1912. After two years spent travelling in Europe, where she was inspired by post-impressionism, she returned to continue her studies with Rubbo. The sock knitter (1915), painted while Cossington Smith was still a student, is considered a key picture of the Australian modernist movement. She was a member of the Contemporary Group (established in 1926 by George Lambert and Thea Proctor to foster young modern artists) and worked closely with modernists Roland Wakelin and Roy de Maistre. However, her contribution to Australian art went largely unrecognised until 1970 when a retrospective of her work, organised by Daniel Thomas, toured Australian galleries. Cossington Smith, who has come to be recognised as a major 20th century Australian painter, produced a large and consistent body of work that is distinctive in its vibrant use of colour, representation of volume and space, and concern for the objects of everyday life. She is best known for her domestic interiors and images of the Harbour Bridge during its construction. Cossington Smith is represented in the National Gallery of Australia and in all the state and many regional galleries.