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{{short description|Australian artist}}
{{Short description|Australian artist (1890–1979)}}
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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Grace Crowley
| name = Grace Crowley
| image =
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = Grace Adela Williams Crowley
| birth_name = Grace Adela Williams Crowley
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1890|05|28}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1890|05|28}}
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| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1979|04|21|1890|05|28}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1979|04|21|1890|05|28}}
| death_place = [[Manly, New South Wales|Manly]], [[New South Wales]]
| death_place = [[Manly, New South Wales|Manly]], [[New South Wales]]
| death_cause =
| death_cause =
| residence =
| other_names =
| other_names =
| known_for =
| known_for =
| education = [[MLC School|Methodist Ladies College]]
| education = [[MLC School|Methodist Ladies College]]
| employer =
| employer =
| occupation = Artist
| occupation = Artist
| title =
| title =
| spouse =
| spouse =
| partner =
| partner =
| children =
| children =
| parents = Elizabeth (née Bridger) and Henry Crowley
| parents = Elizabeth (née Bridger) and Henry Crowley
| relatives = [[Clive Crowley]]
| relatives = [[Clive Crowley]]
| signature =
| signature =
| website =
| website =
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}


'''Grace Adela Williams Crowley ''' (pr: as in "slowly") (28 May 1890 – 21 April 1979) was an Australian artist and modernist painter.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130602b.htm|title=Crowley, Grace Adela Williams (1890 - 1979)|publisher=Australian Dictionary of Biography On-line Edition|accessdate=2007-07-23}}</ref>
'''Grace Adela Williams Crowley ''' (pr: as in "slowly"; 28 May 1890 – 21 April 1979) was an Australian artist and modernist painter.<ref name="bio">{{cite book|url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130602b.htm|title=Crowley, Grace Adela Williams (1890 - 1979)|publisher=Australian Dictionary of Biography On-line Edition|accessdate=2007-07-23}}</ref>


==Early life and Education==
==Early life and education==
Grace Crowley was born in May 1890 in [[Barraba, New South Wales]].<ref name="bio" /> She was the fourth child of Henry, a grazier, and Elizabeth (née Bridger).<ref name="bio"/> By 1900, her family had relocated to a homestead in Glen Riddle, Barraba, where she spent her time drawing people, cats, dogs, [[kookaburra]]s, and even her father's prize winning bullock.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/644028074|title=Australian women artists, 1840-1940|last=Burke, Janine, 1952-|year=1981|publisher=Greenhouse Publications|oclc=644028074}}</ref> At about the age of 13 Crowley's parents sent one of her pen and ink drawings to ''[[New Idea]]'' magazine and she won a prize.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/222805509|title=The encyclopedia of Australian art|last=McCulloch, Alan, 1907-1992.|date=1994|publisher=Allen & Unwin|isbn=1863733159|oclc=222805509}}</ref>
Grace Crowley was born in May 1890 in [[Barraba, New South Wales]].<ref name="bio" /> She was the fourth child of Henry, a grazier, and Elizabeth (née Bridger).<ref name="bio"/> By 1900, her family had relocated to a homestead in Glen Riddle, Barraba, where she spent her time drawing people, cats, dogs, [[kookaburra]]s, and even her father's prize winning bullock.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/644028074|title=Australian women artists, 1840-1940|last=Burke, Janine, 1952-|year=1981|publisher=Greenhouse Publications|oclc=644028074}}</ref> At about the age of 13 Crowley's parents sent one of her pen and ink drawings to ''[[New Idea]]'' magazine and she won a prize.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/222805509|title=The encyclopedia of Australian art|last=McCulloch, Alan, 1907-1992.|date=1994|publisher=Allen & Unwin|isbn=1863733159|oclc=222805509}}</ref>


As a child, Crowley received an informal education from the governess of her homestead.<ref name=":0" /> When this arrangement finished, Crowley and her sister were sent to a boarding school in [[Sydney]].<ref name=":0" /> It was at this time that her Uncle insisted she attend classes by [[Julian Ashton]] at The Sydney Art School, now the [[Julian Ashton Art School]].<ref name=":1" /> Once a week she would attend a class with Ashton and practice her drawing skills, this was her first formal education in the arts.<ref name=":1" /> When Crowley returned to Glen Riddle her desire to create art had diminished, partly as a result of her family’s expectations of her role in the household and she quickly took on a lot of the household duties.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/61.1975/|title=The artist and his model|last=Crowley|first=Grace|date=1938|website=AGNSW collection record|publisher=Art Gallery of New South Wales|access-date=9 May 2016}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/156439177|title=Grace Crowley : being modern|last=Taylor, Elena.|date=2006|publisher=National Gallery of Australia|isbn=9780642541925|oclc=156439177}}</ref> In 1909 Ashton visited Crowley at the family farm and encouraged her artistic practice.<ref name=":5"/> In 1915 Crowley became a full time student at The Sydney Art School and from 1918-1923 worked as Ashton’s assistant.<ref name="bio" /> During her time at the school Crowley studied alongside; Ralph Balson, [[John Passmore (artist)|John Passmere]], [[Dorrit Black]], [[Herbert Badham]], Rah Fizelle, Gerald Lewars, Nancy Hall and John Tilam.<ref name=":1" />  In 1925 Crowley moved to France with her friend and fellow artist [[Anne Dangar]].<ref name=":0" /> Crowley studied at the [[Académie Colarossi]] and then took private lessons with a Beaux-arts portrait painter Louis Roger.<ref name=":0" /> From 1927 to 1929 she was enrolled at L'acadmaine Lhote under [[André Lhote]]. Throughout the next few years she travelled throughout Europe and briefly studied under [[Amédée Ozenfant]] and [[Albert Gleizes]].<ref name=":0" /> She moved back to Sydney in 1930.<ref name=":0" />
As a child, Crowley received an informal education from the governess of her homestead.<ref name=":0" /> When this arrangement finished, Crowley and her sister were sent to a boarding school in [[Sydney]].<ref name=":0" /> It was at this time that her Uncle insisted she attend classes by [[Julian Ashton]] at The Sydney Art School, now the [[Julian Ashton Art School]].<ref name=":1" /> Once a week she would attend a class with Ashton and practice her drawing skills, this was her first formal education in the arts.<ref name=":1" /> When Crowley returned to Glen Riddle her desire to create art had diminished, partly as a result of her family's expectations of her role in the household and she quickly took on a lot of the household duties.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/61.1975/|title=The artist and his model|last=Crowley|first=Grace|date=1938|website=AGNSW collection record|publisher=Art Gallery of New South Wales|access-date=9 May 2016}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/156439177|title=Grace Crowley : being modern|last=Taylor, Elena.|date=2006|publisher=National Gallery of Australia|isbn=9780642541925|oclc=156439177}}</ref> In 1909 Ashton visited Crowley at the family farm and encouraged her artistic practice.<ref name=":5"/> In 1915, Crowley became a full-time student at The Sydney Art School and from 1918 to 1923 worked as Ashton's assistant.<ref name="bio" /> During her time at the school Crowley studied alongside; Ralph Balson, [[John Passmore (artist)|John Passmere]], [[Dorrit Black]], [[Herbert Badham]], [[Rah Fizelle]], Gerald Lewars, Nancy Hall and John Tilam;<ref name=":1" /> reckoned with [[Olive Kathleen Crane|Olive Crane]] and Myra Cocks as Ashton's "younger skilled brigade".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.daao.org.au/bio/olive-crane/biography/ |publisher=Design and Art Australia Online |title=Olive Crane b. 9 May 1895 |access-date=1 August 2023}}</ref> In 1925 Crowley moved to France with her friend and fellow artist [[Anne Dangar]].<ref name=":0" /> Crowley studied at the [[Académie Colarossi]] and then took private lessons with a Beaux-arts portrait painter Louis Roger.<ref name=":0" /> From 1927 to 1929 she was enrolled at L'académie André Lhote under [[André Lhote]]. Throughout the next few years she travelled throughout Europe and briefly studied under [[Amédée Ozenfant]] and [[Albert Gleizes]].<ref name=":0" /> She moved back to Sydney in 1930.<ref name=":0" />


==Career==
==Career==
On her return to Australia, Crowley was one of the most experienced [[Modernism|Modernist]] artists in Australia, with a sophisticated understanding of [[Cubism]]. In 1932 she briefly taught at the Black Modern Art Centre before it was closed down. She then went on to start her own school with Rah Fizelle, which was renamed as the Important Centre for Modern Art and was in existence for five years.<ref name=":5"/> After a relationship breakdown between Fizelle and Crowley, the school closed in 1937.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/903285436|title=Grace Crowley's contribution to Australian modernism and geometric abstraction|last=Ottley, Dianne|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Pub|isbn=9781443820479|oclc=903285436}}</ref> Fizelle remained at 215a George Street, Crowley however set up a studio at her apartment at 227 George Street. In 1937 Grace Crowley, Ralph Balson, Margel Hinder, Rah Fizelle and Eleonore Lange began planning a group exhibition which later came into fruition with fellow painters and sculptors, Frank Medworth, Dadsworth and Gerald Lewers in ''Exhibition 1: paintings and sculptures''<ref name=":1" />''.'' The exhibition was opened by HV Evatt in the David Jones’ Art Gallery in August 1939.<ref name=":5"/> In the early 1940s she was one of the first Australians to move into pure abstraction.
On her return to Australia, Crowley was one of the most experienced [[Modernism|Modernist]] artists in Australia, with a sophisticated understanding of [[Cubism]]. In 1932 she briefly taught at the Black Modern Art Centre before it was closed down. She then went on to start her own school with Rah Fizelle, which was renamed as the Important Centre for Modern Art and was in existence for five years.<ref name=":5"/> After a relationship breakdown between Fizelle and Crowley, the school closed in 1937.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/903285436|title=Grace Crowley's contribution to Australian modernism and geometric abstraction|last=Ottley, Dianne|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Pub|isbn=9781443820479|oclc=903285436}}</ref> Fizelle remained at 215a George Street, Crowley however set up a studio at her apartment at 227 George Street. In 1937, Grace Crowley, Ralph Balson, Margel Hinder, Rah Fizelle and Eleonore Lange began planning a group exhibition which later came into fruition with fellow painters and sculptors, Frank Medworth, Dadsworth and Gerald Lewers in ''Exhibition 1: paintings and sculptures''<ref name=":1" />''.'' The exhibition was opened by HV Evatt in the David Jones' Art Gallery in August 1939.<ref name=":5"/> In the early 1940s she was one of the first Australians to move into pure abstraction.


With other participating artists including Rah Fizelle, [[Frank Hinder]] and [[Eleonore Lange]], Balson and Crowley came together in the 1930s as leaders of the second phase of the modern movement in Australian art, developing the earlier ideas of [[Roland Wakelin]], [[Roy De Maistre]] and others at the beginning of [[World War I]].
With other participating artists including Rah Fizelle, [[Frank Hinder]] and [[Eleonore Lange]], Balson and Crowley came together in the 1930s as leaders of the second phase of the modern movement in Australian art, developing the earlier ideas of [[Roland Wakelin]], [[Roy De Maistre]] and others at the beginning of [[World War I]].
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In 1949, Crowley spent a brief period teaching a course in abstract art at [[National Art School|East Sydney Technical College]].<ref name=":1" />
In 1949, Crowley spent a brief period teaching a course in abstract art at [[National Art School|East Sydney Technical College]].<ref name=":1" />


During this time and throughout the 1950s, Grace Crowley was most productive. Exhibiting regularly from 1944 and 1954 with the [[Society of Artists (Australia)|Society of Artists]] and [[Contemporary Art Society (Australia)|Contemporary Art Society]], Crowley also participated in multiple group exhibitions including; ''Abstract paintings drawings sculpture constructions,'' David Jones Art Gallery, 1948. ''Contemporary Art Society- Eleventh Annual Interstate Exhibition'', 1949, and ''Abstract compositions, paintings, sculpture,'' [[Macquarie Galleries]], 1951.<ref name=":1" /> In 1954 with Balson’s retirement impending, Crowley purchased a house in High Hill, [[Mittagong]], in which she resided alongside her 227 George Street Studio.<ref name=":5" /> Only two known paintings were created between 1955 and 59, an abandonment of geometric forms occurred in exchange for gestural brushwork.<ref name="nga">{{cite web|url=http://nga.gov.au/Crowley/|title=Grace Crowley - Being Modern|publisher=National Gallery of Australia|accessdate=2007-07-23}}</ref> In 1960 Crowley and Balson travelled to galleries in England, France and America. A rapid turn in style occurred during this time of travel, notably in [[Devon]] where both Crowley and Balson turned to pouring paint in a similar fashion to [[Jackson Pollock]]. In August 1964 Balson died unexpectedly, marking the end of Crowley’s art practice also. Crowley stayed at the High Hill residence until she purchased a unit in [[Manly, New South Wales|Manly]].
During this time and throughout the 1950s, Grace Crowley was most productive. Exhibiting regularly from 1944 and 1954 with the [[Society of Artists (Australia)|Society of Artists]] and [[Contemporary Art Society (Australia)|Contemporary Art Society]], Crowley also participated in multiple group exhibitions including; ''Abstract paintings drawings sculpture constructions,'' David Jones Art Gallery, 1948. ''Contemporary Art Society- Eleventh Annual Interstate Exhibition'', 1949, and ''Abstract compositions, paintings, sculpture,'' [[Macquarie Galleries]], 1951.<ref name=":1" /> In 1954 with Balson's retirement impending, Crowley purchased a house in High Hill, [[Mittagong]], in which she resided alongside her 227 George Street Studio.<ref name=":5" /> Only two known paintings were created between 1955 and 59, an abandonment of geometric forms occurred in exchange for gestural brushwork.<ref name="nga">{{cite web|url=http://nga.gov.au/Crowley/|title=Grace Crowley - Being Modern|publisher=National Gallery of Australia|accessdate=2007-07-23}}</ref> In 1960, Crowley and Balson travelled to galleries in England, France and America. A rapid turn in style occurred during this time of travel, notably in [[Devon]] where both Crowley and Balson turned to pouring paint in a similar fashion to [[Jackson Pollock]]. In August 1964 Balson died unexpectedly, marking the end of Crowley's art practice also. Crowley stayed at the High Hill residence until she purchased a unit in [[Manly, New South Wales|Manly]].


In honour of the forerunners of the modern abstract movement, in 1966 the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]] held an exhibition which included Crowley and her colleagues such as Balson, Fizelle and Hinder.<ref name=":4" />
In honour of the forerunners of the modern abstract movement, in 1966 the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]] held an exhibition which included Crowley and her colleagues such as Balson, Fizelle and Hinder.<ref name=":4" />


Shortly before her 85th birthday, in 1975 the Art Gallery of New South Wales opened its doors to the first retrospective of Crowley.<ref name=":4" /> Elena Taylor, NGA’s Curator of Australian Painting and Sculpture notes, "''Crowley’s long artistic journey over five decades from painter of traditional landscapes to avant-garde abstracts was extraordinary. While Crowley is still best known for her cubist paintings of the 1920s and 1930s, Grace Crowley: being modern includes works that have never before been exhibited and reveals the full extent of Crowley’s contribution to Australian art."''<ref name=":5"/>''.'' Her Project 4 Exhibition followed shortly after.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/78434412|title=Project 4 : Grace Crowley.|last=Art Gallery of New South Wales.|date=1975|oclc=78434412}}</ref> In January 1976, Crowley was made a Member of the [[Order of Australia]]  for her services to Art.<ref name="nga" />
Shortly before her 85th birthday, in 1975 the Art Gallery of New South Wales opened its doors to the first retrospective of Crowley, comprising 25 paintings and 12 drawings.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="bio"/> Elena Taylor, NGA's Curator of Australian Painting and Sculpture notes, "''Crowley's long artistic journey over five decades from painter of traditional landscapes to avant-garde abstracts was extraordinary. While Crowley is still best known for her cubist paintings of the 1920s and 1930s, Grace Crowley: being modern includes works that have never before been exhibited and reveals the full extent of Crowley's contribution to Australian art."''<ref name=":5"/>''.'' Her Project 4 Exhibition followed shortly after.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/78434412|title=Project 4 : Grace Crowley.|last=Art Gallery of New South Wales.|date=1975|oclc=78434412}}</ref> In January 1976, Crowley was made a Member of the [[Order of Australia]]  for her services to Art.<ref name="nga" />


The [[National Gallery of Australia]] held a solo exhibition of her work in December 2006 to May 2007 called ''Grace Crowley - Being Modern''.<ref name="nga" /> Crowley is represented by [[National Gallery of Australia|Australian National Gallery]], [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]], [[National Gallery of Victoria]].
The [[National Gallery of Australia]] held a solo exhibition of her work in December 2006 to May 2007 called ''Grace Crowley - Being Modern''.<ref name="nga" /> Crowley is represented by [[National Gallery of Australia|Australian National Gallery]], [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]], [[National Gallery of Victoria]].


==Death==
==Death==
Crowley died at her home in [[Manly, New South Wales]] on 21 April 1979 aged 89. She left a body of work comprising 25 paintings and 12 drawings.<ref name="bio"/> 3 works are held permanently in the Cruther's Collection of Womens Art in the [[University of Western Australia]].
Crowley died at her home in [[Manly, New South Wales]] on 21 April 1979 aged 89. She left a small body of works,<ref name="bio"/> 3 of which are held permanently in the Cruther's Collection of Women's Art in the [[University of Western Australia]].


==Selected exhibitions==
==Selected exhibitions==
* '''1930''' ''A Group of Seven,'' with Dorrit Black, Roy de Maistre, Roland Wakelin, Enid Cambridge, Grace Cossington Smith and Frank Weitzel, Macquarie Galleries, March.
* '''1930''' ''A Group of Seven,'' with Dorrit Black, Roy de Maistre, Roland Wakelin, Enid Cambridge, Grace Cossington Smith and Frank Weitzel, Macquarie Galleries, March.
* '''1932''' ''Solo Exhibition'', Modern Art Centre, Sydney, June.
* '''1932''' ''Solo Exhibition'', Modern Art Centre, Sydney, June.
* '''1939''' ''Exhibition I: Paintings and Sculptures''. David Jone's Art Gallery, Sydney, August.
* '''1939''' ''Exhibition I: Paintings and Sculptures''. David Jone's Art Gallery, Sydney, August.
* '''1966''' ''Balson Crowley Fizelle Hinder''. Art Gallery of New South Wales, May.
* '''1966''' ''Balson Crowley Fizelle Hinder''. Art Gallery of New South Wales, May.
* '''1975''' ''Australian Women Artists'', ''One Hundred Years: 1840 - 1940.'' Ewing and George Paton Galleries, Melbourne, September. Art Gallery of New South Wales, October. National Gallery of Victoria, January.
* '''1975''' ''Australian Women Artists'', ''One Hundred Years: 1840 - 1940.'' Ewing and George Paton Galleries, Melbourne, September. Art Gallery of New South Wales, October. National Gallery of Victoria, January.


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last= Modjeska |first= Drusilla |title= Stravinsky's Lunch |publisher= Picador |year= 1999 |location= Sydney |isbn= 0-330-36259-3}}
* {{cite book |last= Modjeska |first= Drusilla |title= Stravinsky's Lunch |publisher= Picador |year= 1999 |location= Sydney |isbn= 0-330-36259-3}}
*Symposium papers: Colour in art - revisiting 1919 & R-Balson (2008), Nick Waterlow (Australia) (Curator), Annabel Pegus (Australia) (Curator), Ivan Dougherty Gallery (Australia, estab. 1977), Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
* Symposium papers: Colour in art - revisiting 1919 & R-Balson (2008), Nick Waterlow (Australia) (Curator), Annabel Pegus (Australia) (Curator), Ivan Dougherty Gallery (Australia, estab. 1977), Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
*Grace Crowley: being modern (2006), Elena Taylor (Author), National Gallery of Australia (Australia, estab. 1982), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
* Grace Crowley: being modern (2006), Elena Taylor (Author), National Gallery of Australia (Australia, estab. 1982), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
*Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection (2002), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
* Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection (2002), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
*Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2000), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
* Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2000), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
*Brought to light: Australian Art 1850-1965 (1998), Lynne Seear (Australia) (Editor), Julie Ewington (Australia) (Editor), Queensland Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1895), South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
* Brought to light: Australian Art 1850-1965 (1998), Lynne Seear (Australia) (Editor), Julie Ewington (Australia) (Editor), Queensland Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1895), South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
*The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections (1994), Ewen McDonald (Australia) (Editor), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
* The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections (1994), Ewen McDonald (Australia) (Editor), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
*Ralph Balson A Retrospective (Jul 1989), Bruce Adams (Author), Heide Park and Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1980, closed 1992), Bulleen, Victoria, Australia.
* Ralph Balson A Retrospective (Jul 1989), Bruce Adams (Author), Heide Park and Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1980, closed 1992), Bulleen, Victoria, Australia.
*Project 4: Grace Crowley (1975), Daniel Thomas (Curator), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
* Project 4: Grace Crowley (1975), Daniel Thomas (Curator), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/artists/crowley-grace/ Grace Crowley] at the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]]
* [http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/artists/crowley-grace/ Grace Crowley] at the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070922205551/http://www.api-network.com/cgi-bin/reviews/jrbview.cgi?n=1865082414&issue=1 Helen Topliss ed, Earth Fire Water Air: Anne Dangar's Letters to Grace Crowley 1930-1951] Review by Jody Fitzhardinge, Curtin University, September 2001
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070922205551/http://www.api-network.com/cgi-bin/reviews/jrbview.cgi?n=1865082414&issue=1 Helen Topliss ed, Earth Fire Water Air: Anne Dangar's Letters to Grace Crowley 1930-1951] Review by Jody Fitzhardinge, Curtin University, September 2001
*[http://www.artaustralia.com/article.asp?issue_id=175&article_id=71 Dorrit Black's Modern Art Centre (extract)] by Sarah Thomas, Art & Australia, Spring 2006.
* [http://www.artaustralia.com/article.asp?issue_id=175&article_id=71 Dorrit Black's Modern Art Centre (extract)] by Sarah Thomas, Art & Australia, Spring 2006.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928003557/http://www.australianart.com.au/artists.php?ID=108 Grace Crowely at Australian Art]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928003557/http://www.australianart.com.au/artists.php?ID=108 Grace Crowely at Australian Art]
* [http://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0448b.htm Visual Arts - The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia]. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
* [http://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0448b.htm Visual Arts - The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia]. Retrieved 7 August 2014.


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[[Category:Australian women painters]]
[[Category:Australian women painters]]
[[Category:Cubist artists]]
[[Category:Cubist artists]]
[[Category:People from New South Wales]]
[[Category:Artists from New South Wales]]
[[Category:19th-century Australian women]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian women]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian artists]]
[[Category:20th-century women painters]]

Latest revision as of 04:40, 26 April 2024

For the webcartoonist, see Loxie & Zoot.

Grace Crowley
Born
Grace Adela Williams Crowley

(1890-05-28)28 May 1890
Barraba, New South Wales
Died21 April 1979(1979-04-21) (aged 88)
Manly, New South Wales
EducationMethodist Ladies College
OccupationArtist
Parent(s)Elizabeth (née Bridger) and Henry Crowley
RelativesClive Crowley

Grace Adela Williams Crowley (pr: as in "slowly"; 28 May 1890 – 21 April 1979) was an Australian artist and modernist painter.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Grace Crowley was born in May 1890 in Barraba, New South Wales.[1] She was the fourth child of Henry, a grazier, and Elizabeth (née Bridger).[1] By 1900, her family had relocated to a homestead in Glen Riddle, Barraba, where she spent her time drawing people, cats, dogs, kookaburras, and even her father's prize winning bullock.[2] At about the age of 13 Crowley's parents sent one of her pen and ink drawings to New Idea magazine and she won a prize.[3]

As a child, Crowley received an informal education from the governess of her homestead.[2] When this arrangement finished, Crowley and her sister were sent to a boarding school in Sydney.[2] It was at this time that her Uncle insisted she attend classes by Julian Ashton at The Sydney Art School, now the Julian Ashton Art School.[3] Once a week she would attend a class with Ashton and practice her drawing skills, this was her first formal education in the arts.[3] When Crowley returned to Glen Riddle her desire to create art had diminished, partly as a result of her family's expectations of her role in the household and she quickly took on a lot of the household duties.[4][5] In 1909 Ashton visited Crowley at the family farm and encouraged her artistic practice.[5] In 1915, Crowley became a full-time student at The Sydney Art School and from 1918 to 1923 worked as Ashton's assistant.[1] During her time at the school Crowley studied alongside; Ralph Balson, John Passmere, Dorrit Black, Herbert Badham, Rah Fizelle, Gerald Lewars, Nancy Hall and John Tilam;[3] reckoned with Olive Crane and Myra Cocks as Ashton's "younger skilled brigade".[6] In 1925 Crowley moved to France with her friend and fellow artist Anne Dangar.[2] Crowley studied at the Académie Colarossi and then took private lessons with a Beaux-arts portrait painter Louis Roger.[2] From 1927 to 1929 she was enrolled at L'académie André Lhote under André Lhote. Throughout the next few years she travelled throughout Europe and briefly studied under Amédée Ozenfant and Albert Gleizes.[2] She moved back to Sydney in 1930.[2]

Career[edit]

On her return to Australia, Crowley was one of the most experienced Modernist artists in Australia, with a sophisticated understanding of Cubism. In 1932 she briefly taught at the Black Modern Art Centre before it was closed down. She then went on to start her own school with Rah Fizelle, which was renamed as the Important Centre for Modern Art and was in existence for five years.[5] After a relationship breakdown between Fizelle and Crowley, the school closed in 1937.[7] Fizelle remained at 215a George Street, Crowley however set up a studio at her apartment at 227 George Street. In 1937, Grace Crowley, Ralph Balson, Margel Hinder, Rah Fizelle and Eleonore Lange began planning a group exhibition which later came into fruition with fellow painters and sculptors, Frank Medworth, Dadsworth and Gerald Lewers in Exhibition 1: paintings and sculptures[3]. The exhibition was opened by HV Evatt in the David Jones' Art Gallery in August 1939.[5] In the early 1940s she was one of the first Australians to move into pure abstraction.

With other participating artists including Rah Fizelle, Frank Hinder and Eleonore Lange, Balson and Crowley came together in the 1930s as leaders of the second phase of the modern movement in Australian art, developing the earlier ideas of Roland Wakelin, Roy De Maistre and others at the beginning of World War I.

In 1949, Crowley spent a brief period teaching a course in abstract art at East Sydney Technical College.[3]

During this time and throughout the 1950s, Grace Crowley was most productive. Exhibiting regularly from 1944 and 1954 with the Society of Artists and Contemporary Art Society, Crowley also participated in multiple group exhibitions including; Abstract paintings drawings sculpture constructions, David Jones Art Gallery, 1948. Contemporary Art Society- Eleventh Annual Interstate Exhibition, 1949, and Abstract compositions, paintings, sculpture, Macquarie Galleries, 1951.[3] In 1954 with Balson's retirement impending, Crowley purchased a house in High Hill, Mittagong, in which she resided alongside her 227 George Street Studio.[5] Only two known paintings were created between 1955 and 59, an abandonment of geometric forms occurred in exchange for gestural brushwork.[8] In 1960, Crowley and Balson travelled to galleries in England, France and America. A rapid turn in style occurred during this time of travel, notably in Devon where both Crowley and Balson turned to pouring paint in a similar fashion to Jackson Pollock. In August 1964 Balson died unexpectedly, marking the end of Crowley's art practice also. Crowley stayed at the High Hill residence until she purchased a unit in Manly.

In honour of the forerunners of the modern abstract movement, in 1966 the Art Gallery of New South Wales held an exhibition which included Crowley and her colleagues such as Balson, Fizelle and Hinder.[7]

Shortly before her 85th birthday, in 1975 the Art Gallery of New South Wales opened its doors to the first retrospective of Crowley, comprising 25 paintings and 12 drawings.[7][1] Elena Taylor, NGA's Curator of Australian Painting and Sculpture notes, "Crowley's long artistic journey over five decades from painter of traditional landscapes to avant-garde abstracts was extraordinary. While Crowley is still best known for her cubist paintings of the 1920s and 1930s, Grace Crowley: being modern includes works that have never before been exhibited and reveals the full extent of Crowley's contribution to Australian art."[5]. Her Project 4 Exhibition followed shortly after.[9] In January 1976, Crowley was made a Member of the Order of Australia  for her services to Art.[8]

The National Gallery of Australia held a solo exhibition of her work in December 2006 to May 2007 called Grace Crowley - Being Modern.[8] Crowley is represented by Australian National Gallery, Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Victoria.

Death[edit]

Crowley died at her home in Manly, New South Wales on 21 April 1979 aged 89. She left a small body of works,[1] 3 of which are held permanently in the Cruther's Collection of Women's Art in the University of Western Australia.

Selected exhibitions[edit]

  • 1930 A Group of Seven, with Dorrit Black, Roy de Maistre, Roland Wakelin, Enid Cambridge, Grace Cossington Smith and Frank Weitzel, Macquarie Galleries, March.
  • 1932 Solo Exhibition, Modern Art Centre, Sydney, June.
  • 1939 Exhibition I: Paintings and Sculptures. David Jone's Art Gallery, Sydney, August.
  • 1966 Balson Crowley Fizelle Hinder. Art Gallery of New South Wales, May.
  • 1975 Australian Women Artists, One Hundred Years: 1840 - 1940. Ewing and George Paton Galleries, Melbourne, September. Art Gallery of New South Wales, October. National Gallery of Victoria, January.

Further reading[edit]

  • Modjeska, Drusilla (1999). Stravinsky's Lunch. Sydney: Picador. ISBN 0-330-36259-3.
  • Symposium papers: Colour in art - revisiting 1919 & R-Balson (2008), Nick Waterlow (Australia) (Curator), Annabel Pegus (Australia) (Curator), Ivan Dougherty Gallery (Australia, estab. 1977), Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Grace Crowley: being modern (2006), Elena Taylor (Author), National Gallery of Australia (Australia, estab. 1982), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
  • Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection (2002), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Australian art: in the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2000), Barry Pearce (Australia) (Author), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Brought to light: Australian Art 1850-1965 (1998), Lynne Seear (Australia) (Editor), Julie Ewington (Australia) (Editor), Queensland Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1895), South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
  • The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections (1994), Ewen McDonald (Australia) (Editor), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Ralph Balson A Retrospective (Jul 1989), Bruce Adams (Author), Heide Park and Art Gallery (Australia, estab. 1980, closed 1992), Bulleen, Victoria, Australia.
  • Project 4: Grace Crowley (1975), Daniel Thomas (Curator), Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Crowley, Grace Adela Williams (1890 - 1979). Australian Dictionary of Biography On-line Edition. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Burke, Janine, 1952- (1981). Australian women artists, 1840-1940. Greenhouse Publications. OCLC 644028074.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g McCulloch, Alan, 1907-1992. (1994). The encyclopedia of Australian art. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1863733159. OCLC 222805509.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Crowley, Grace (1938). "The artist and his model". AGNSW collection record. Art Gallery of New South Wales. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Taylor, Elena. (2006). Grace Crowley : being modern. National Gallery of Australia. ISBN 9780642541925. OCLC 156439177.
  6. ^ "Olive Crane b. 9 May 1895". Design and Art Australia Online. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Ottley, Dianne (2010). Grace Crowley's contribution to Australian modernism and geometric abstraction. Cambridge Scholars Pub. ISBN 9781443820479. OCLC 903285436.
  8. ^ a b c "Grace Crowley - Being Modern". National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  9. ^ Art Gallery of New South Wales. (1975). Project 4 : Grace Crowley. OCLC 78434412.

External links[edit]

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