The visual world of Mirka Mora, matriarch of the Melbourne art scene, was fantastical. Creatures - human, animal and hybrid - dance throughout, inspired by Eastern European fairy tales, angels and ancient mythology, as well as Mora’s own fecund imagination.

Mora’s art was an act of resilience. Her family narrowly escaped the Holocaust, with Mora spending her adolescence hiding between French villages and forests evading capture. Her work is set in this childlike tone, the triumph of joy against adversity and an attempt to live fully for those unable to.

Mora’s character spilt out of her. She drew them on dolls, kitchen utensils, trams, walls and ceramics, seeing every surface as an opportunity to create. In this original drawing, they land in charcoal — elegant configurations that are dramatic, cherubic, funny and Shakespearean. Welcome to the court of Mirka Mora.

Beloved by the public and art world, Mora’s joie de vivre enchanted a nation. She was socialite and restaurateur, a party-animal and bohemian whose Cafe Balzac was the first in Melbourne to secure a 10pm liquor licence. Cheers to that and this disarming drawing.

Mirka MORA (1928 - 2018)
'Bird Face' 1965
Charcoal on paper
Image Size: 24 x 18 cm
Dimensions: 24 x 18 cm

Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.

© Mirka Mora / Copyright Agency 2023