Two women who rewrote Australian Modernism

A sculptor and a spiritualist are an unlikely pair to have shaped the history of Australian art, both now recognised in major survey exhibitions. ArtsHub speaks with curators on how Clarice Beckett and Margel Hinder did it.

When we think of Modernism in Australia, the roll call doesn’t naturally drift towards women artists.

While that has more recently been readdressed through exhibitions like Making Modernism – showing works of Grace Cossington Smith and Margaret Preston – and the current Know My Name project at the National Gallery of Australia, there are still vast gaps in popular knowledge.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina