Painter, writer and poet Ethel Anderson (née Mason, 1883–1958) was an important figure in the Sydney modern art scene of the 1930s and 40s. Born in England to Australian parents, Anderson grew up in Sydney and was 21 when she married British army officer, Austin Thomas Anderson, in India. There, in 1907, daughter Grace Gwendoline Bethia Anderson was born. Following the family’s departure from India at the outbreak of the First World War, Ethel spent a decade painting and exhibiting in England before returning to Australia in 1924. Their Turramurra home became an artistic hub in support of Sydney’s modern art scene and painters such as Roland Wakelin, Roy de Maistre and Grace Cossington Smith. Anderson held exhibitions in her home and promoted the work of artists through her writing for newspapers and magazines including The Home and Art in Australia.
Gift of Mrs SM Asplin 2011
Sonagh M. Asplin (2 portraits)
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