Double Self Portrait in Mirror

Sydney-born Alison Rehfisch is known for her still lifes and flower pieces, often painted on hessian and in a post-impressionist style that employed rhythmic, structured composition, simple forms and a bold yet harmonious use of colour. Rehfisch grew up in a family who encouraged her interest in art, studying at Julian Ashton's art school before leaving at the age of 19 to marry. After her daughter started school, Rehfisch returned to painting, attending classes at Antonio Dattilo Rubbo's atelier. She began exhibiting with the Society of Artists in 1931, by which time she and her husband had separated. Heading to London in 1933, she studied at the Grosvenor School of Modern Art, spent months painting in Spain, and exhibited at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts. In 1938 Rehfisch returned to Sydney and until 1969 exhibited regularly at Macquarie Galleries and the David Jones Art Gallery. Rehfisch described her approach to painting as not 'a superficial rendering of the thing we see in front of us, [but] trying to get the spirit behind all that'. Accordingly, this self portrait captures someone known for her sartorial flair as well as a sense of the independent, modern identity she forged as an artist in Europe.

Purchased 2023