(1892-1984)

Born in Sydney in 1892, Grace Cossington Smith holds a legacy as one of the most highly celebrated artists from the 20th Century in Australia. Primarily working in the medium of painting, Cossington Smith was an instrumental figure in the Modernist painting movement in Australia.

Taking inspiration from the European and British Post-Impressionist movement, Cossington Smith’s style reflects the influence of artists such as Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne. A hallmark of Modernist painting was the use of daubs of unblended colour to convey light and form, and Cossington Smith became a key figure in establishing this approach within Australia. Her vibrant and dynamic compositions demonstrate both her affinity with Post-Impressionist techniques and her distinct contribution to the emergence of modern art.

Responding directly to her surroundings, Cossington Smith is best known for her depictions of domestic interiors, windows and Sydney’s city life, rendered in her distinctive style of broad, unblended brushstrokes and luminous colour. Progressive for her time, she challenged convention not only through her modernist technique but also through her choice of subject matter—foregrounding the domestic labour of women during the First World War and in the years that followed.

Cossington Smith studied at the Julian Ashton Art School from 1910, alongside other significant Australian artists, including fellow Modernist Roland Wakelin. She exhibited regularly at Sydney’s Macquarie Galleries during her career, and her works are held by most major galleries in Australia. 

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