B. 1891-1951

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Dorrit Black was a pioneering modernist painter, printmaker and educator who played a vital role in introducing modern art to Australia. After studying in London and Paris with leading modernists Claude Flight and André Lhote, she returned in 1929 as, in her words, a passionate advocate for the “aims and methods of the modern movement”.

In 1931, Black established the Modern Art Centre in Sydney – the first gallery in Australia run by a woman and dedicated exclusively to modern art. Through her exhibitions, teaching and personal practice, she championed modernism at a time when it faced significant resistance.

At the end of 1933, she returned to Adelaide to care for her mother, establishing a studio in Magill. While geographically isolated, her work deepened in strength and individuality. A bold colourist and compositional innovator, she produced powerful linocuts, oils and watercolours that often went unappreciated during her lifetime. The Bridge (1930), depicting the Sydney Harbour Bridge under construction, is considered one of Australia’s earliest cubist landscapes.

Despite exhibiting regularly, Black sold few works and received little recognition before her sudden death in a car accident in 1951. As artist Ivor Francis noted in her obituary, she was “Adelaide’s first and, perhaps, least understood ‘modern’ artist”.

Today, Dorrit Black is recognised as a trailblazer whose dedication to modernism has left a lasting impact on Australian art. Her Cubist-inspired paintings and prints are recognized as significant contributions to Australian modernism and are well represented across these major institutions, including the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. 

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