B. 1860 – 1949

Born in Tasmania in 1860, Curzona (Lily) Allport, or C.L Allport, was a multi-disciplinary artist and the first Tasmanian to be exhibited in London’s Royal Academy of Arts. Taught to draw by her grandmother Mary Morton Allport, the first professional female artist within the Australian colonies, Allport left Australia for London in 1888. In London, Allport’s career flourished. As an oil painter, watercolourist, and printmaker, Allport’s picturesque depictions of English and Tasmanian landscapes, and portraits of young girls, lends itself to an Arcadian art style where the world is pictured as idyllic and untouched. 

Returning to Tasmania, Allport set up her own printing press, the Bolt Press, in 1933 at the age of 65, where she continued producing and exhibited artworks until her death in 1949. A prolific early Australian artist, Allport’s artworks are held within national collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria and National Gallery of Australia.

 
For a more in-depth biography of the artist, click here.