B. 1860 – 1940

Born in Collingwood, Melbourne in 1860, Iso Rae was one of only two Australian women artists to document the First World War in France. Rae began her artistic training at the National Gallery School at the age of 17, where she studied with future luminaries including Tom Roberts and Frederick McCubbin. In 1887, she moved to Paris with her mother and sister, immersing herself in the city's art scene, which was deeply influenced by French post-impressionism.

By 1890, Rae had settled in Étaples, a coastal town in Picardy, where an artists' colony composed of Australians, British, and Americans had flourished. She exhibited widely, gaining recognition in the Paris Salon and London, with her large oil paintings garnering critical praise. When the First World War broke out, Rae remained in Étaples, where she, though not officially commissioned, documented the war's impact through intimate, small-scale drawings. These pastel works, often depicting night scenes, were created during her service with the Voluntary Aid Detachment of the British Red Cross, where she worked in a YMCA Hut.

Rae's work was deeply personal, shaped by her experiences as an expatriate and war observer. Despite her significant contributions to Australian and international art, living overseas for most of her life and career has resulted in a lack of recognition for her legacy in Australia. Today, she is remembered as a pioneering woman artist whose work captured the raw, intimate moments of war and the quiet beauty of life in Étaples. 

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