Gwendolyn Muriel Grant (1877-1968) was an Australian artist, who worked mostly in portrait work in the

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

style. Many of her works have coastal or beach scenes, in addition to formal portraits and she was part of a vanguard of women exhibiting their work in Australia.

Early life

Gwendolyn Muriel Stanley (later known by her married name Grant) was born May 24, 1877 in

Ipswich, Queensland Ipswich () is a city in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River, it is approximately west of the Brisbane central business district. The city is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage. Ipswich pre ...

, to Scottish born Montague Stanley, a station manager and his wife Maud Craig. Her grandfather was an artist and actor in Scotland, and her uncles were architect

F.D.G. Stanley Francis Drummond Greville Stanley (1839—1897) was an architect in Queensland, Australia. He was the Queensland Colonial Architect. Many of his designs are now heritage-listed buildings. Early life Stanley was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 1 ...

and railway engineer H.C. Stanley. After the death of her mother in 1879, Gwendolyn was raised by members of her mother’s family in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. She was educated at the Miss Clark’s School in Toowong and then studied art at Brisbane Technical College under

Godfrey Rivers Richard Godfrey Rivers (1858 – 4 February 1925), generally known as R. Godfrey Rivers, was an English artist, active in Australia and president of the Queensland Art Society from 1892–1901 and 1904–08. Early life Richard Godfrey Rivers ...

. She entered the

Royal Queensland Art Society The Royal Queensland Art Society is an organisation for practicing artists and those who appreciate art in Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest art society in Queensland. History A meeting was held in the Brisbane School of Arts on Thursday ...

’s annual exhibition in 1899.

Career

Stanley worked as a governess at several stations in northern Queensland from 1902, as well as pursuing painting. She held a solo exhibition in Brisbane in 1906. The following year she travelled to Melbourne to study at the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

school under the instruction of Bernard Hall,

Frederick McCubbin Frederick McCubbin (25 February 1855 – 20 December 1917) was an Australian artist, art teacher and prominent member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, McCubb ...

and

Leslie Wilkie Leslie Andrew Alexander Wilkie (27 June 1878 – 4 September 1935) was an Australian artist and the president of the South Australian Society of Arts from 1932 to 1934. Early life Wilkie was born at Royal Park, Melbourne, Royal Park, Melbourne, ...

. She returned to Brisbane in 1912. Stanley shared a studio with

Vida Lahey Frances Vida Lahey MBE (1882—1968) was a prominent artist in Queensland, Australia. She exhibited widely from 1902 until 1965. Early life Frances Vida Lahey was born on 26 August 1882 at Pimpama, Queensland, the daughter of David Lahey and h ...

, taught classes and served on the Art Society’s council. She married fellow artist William Grant in Brisbane in 1915, who referred to her as “Stan”, and continued her artistic work, whilst raising their two children. Gwendolyn Grant was president of the Brisbane Lyceum Club in 1923. She wrote for the local newspapers on art and exhibited her works with the Victorian Artists Society and Society of Women Painters. She regularly entered the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

competition. She exhibited her works in 15 solo exhibitions and 4 with her husband. She taught art at the Brisbane CTC until she was 75.

Legacy

Grant died April 17, 1968 in Brisbane and was survived by her two children. Her works are held in the

University of Queensland Art Museum A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...

and

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Gallery ...

. A retrospective of she and her husband’s work was published - ''Gwendolyn and W.G. Grant : their art and life'' in 1990. Her work was featured in the Brisbane Museum’s 2019-2020 exhibition on women artists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Gwendolyn Australian women artists Australian artists 1877 births 1968 deaths