During the late nineteenth century Agnes Goodsir (1864–1939) studied at the Bendigo School of Mines in Victoria under the tutelage of the artist Arthur Woodward, who insisted that students be exposed to international cultural circles. Goodsir set her sights on England and France, venturing overseas to 'find herself' at the mature age of 36. Her works were featured in the seasonal salons of Paris, gaining her significant attention and resulting in a steady flow of commissions. After briefly moving to London (where she also exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute) she resettled in Paris in 1921 with her companion and muse, Rachel Dunn, who appeared in many of her paintings. In 1926, she was made a member of France’s Société Nationale des Beaux Arts, one of few Australians to receive the honour.
This 1900 self portrait, made in her first year in Paris, shows why she generated noted interest within the Parisian art world. Goodsir, using herself as subject, has successfully captured the balance between the aesthetic and the authentic, offering a portrayal that presents the artist as a sensitive and confident woman, with a decent dose of appealing Romantic drama. On her brief return to Australia in 1927 to deliver two major solo exhibitions, her reputation as a portrait artist in Europe was widely vaunted by the press.
Gift of Rosemary Neilson 2021
Agnes Goodsir (age 36 in 1900)
Rosemary Neilson (1 portrait)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
National Portrait Gallery director Karen Quinlan AM nominates her quintet of favourites from the collection, with early twentieth-century ‘selfies’ filling the roster.
Karen Quinlan considers the case of Agnes Goodsir, whose low profile in Australia belies her overseas acclaim.
