B. 1935 

A visionary of abstract art and printmaking, Janet Dawson was born in Sydney, Australia. In 1956 she was awarded the National Gallery of Victoria Travelling Scholarship, journeying to Europe and England where she studied lithography and painting under Ceri Richards at the Slade School and etching under Anthony Cross at the Central School. 

Dawson returned to Australia in 1960, deciding to have her first solo exhibition at Melbourne’s avant-garde gallery and furniture store, Gallery A. She was then employed by the business, helping to bring their major 1961 exhibition The Bauhaus: Aspects and Influence to life. She also founded the Gallery A Print Workshop, introducing artists John Brack, John Olsen and Fred Williams to the practice of lithography. 

In 1973, Dawson won the Art Gallery of New South Wales Archibald Prize with a portrait of her husband, Michael Boddy. She is represented across public collections and was awarded an MBE in 1977 for her services to art, described by fellow artist James Gleeson as “pioneering Australia’s graphic arts”.

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