B. 1897 – 1963

Arnold Shore was a notable Australian painter, teacher, cartoonist and art critic known for his leadership in Australia's post-Impressionist movement. Born in Victoria, he studied at the National Gallery School from 1912 to 1917, where he was influenced by the work of Frederick McCubbin. After a period as an apprentice in stained glass design, Shore joined Max Meldrum's art school in 1917, later becoming a member of the group, Twenty Melbourne Painters, after the school closed in 1923.

Shore’s work, which reflected European Post-Impressionism, was a minority taste in Melbourne at the time. Despite never leaving Australia, Shore was deeply inspired by the European art he discovered in books and magazines. In 1929, he held a solo exhibition at the Athenaeum Gallery, which was arguably the first modernist exhibition in Melbourne. His influence as a teacher and critic in Melbourne was significant, and he became a well-respected figure in the city’s art community.

In 1937, Shore held his second solo exhibition at Macquarie Galleries in Sydney, which received both critical and commercial acclaim. After his mother's death in 1938, he and his wife moved to rural Mount Macedon, where many of his most lyrically beautiful landscapes were subsequently painted. His work is represented in most state and regional galleries, reflecting his enduring legacy on Australian modernism.

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