Ola Cohn (born Carola Cohn; 25 April 1892 – 23 December 1964) was an Australian artist, author and philanthropist best known for her work in

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

in a

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

style and famous for her ''Fairies Tree'' in the

Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne The Fitzroy Gardens are 26 hectares (64 acres) located on the southeastern edge of the Melbourne central business district in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The gardens are bounded by Clarendon Street, Albert Street, Lansdowne Street, and ...

.Deborah Edwards, Dictionary of Australian Artists online,
Ola Cohn
', Accessed 29 June 2009Australian Women's Register -

' Accessed 29 June 2009Ken Scarlett, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'

Early life

Cohn was born in

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

, Victoria. She went to school at Girton College in Bendigo and then studied drawing and sculpture at the

Bendigo School of Mines The Bendigo School of Mines was established in Bendigo, Australia in 1873 to provide technical education, predominantly for the mining industry. It was then known as the ''Bendigo School of Mines and Industries'' from 1883 to 1959, ''Bendigo Techni ...

. She continued her studies in Melbourne at

Swinburne Technical College Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without access ...

and then at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

in London. On her return to Melbourne in 1930 she established a studio at

Grosvenor Chambers Grosvenor Chambers, at number 9 Collins Street, Melbourne, contained the first custom-built complex of artists' studios in Australia. The construction costs were almost £6,000 and the building opened in April 1888. The owner was Charles Stewar ...

(9 Collins Street, Melbourne, subsequently occupied by Georges and

Mirka Mora Mirka Madeleine Mora (18 March 1928 – 27 August 2018) was a French-born Australian visual artist and cultural figure who contributed significantly to the development of contemporary art in Australia. Her media included drawing, painting, scu ...

), later moving to Gipps Street, East Melbourne.

Works

Cohn's works in bronze, stone and wood are held in many state and regional galleries. Important works include: * the Fairies' Tree in the

which she sculpted between 1931 and 1934 and donated to the children of Melbourne and * the statue for the Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden in Adelaide, South Australia, carved in limestone in 1940–1941. The Fairies Tree work also inspired her writing and publication of ''The Fairies' Tree'' (1932), ''More about the Fairies' Tree'' (1933) and ''Castles in the Air'' (1936). Her book ''Mostly Cats'' was published in 1964. In 2014 her autobiography was published; ''A Way with the Fairies: The Lost Story of Sculptor Ola Cohn''.

Career and influence

She was president of the

Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors The Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, established in Melbourne, Victoria in 1902, is the oldest surviving women's art group in Australia. History The Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors (MSWPS) began in 1902 as ...

from 1948 to 1964, a founding member of the

Australian Sculptors Society Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

Association of Sculptors of Victoria
Ola Cohn Centre for the Arts
Accessed 29 June 2009. and an active member of the

Victorian Artists' Society The Victorian Artists Society, which can trace its establishment to 1856 in Melbourne, promotes artistic education, art classes and gallery hire exhibition in Australia. It was formed in March 1888 when the Victorian Academy of Arts (previously Vi ...

, the Victorian Sculptors' Society and Melbourne Contemporary Artists. Through her membership of artists' and sculptors' societies, Cohn gave lectures and demonstrations to make sculpture more accessible to the public. Private instruction in sculpture was given from her studio in East Melbourne which became an important centre for artists. During the Second World War she gave recreational sculpture lessons for soldiers. Cohn travelled through Europe and Iceland from 1949 to 1951. In 1952 she won the Crouch Prize at Ballarat for her woodcarving, "Abraham". This was the first time that the prize had been awarded to a sculpture. Her studio home in Gipps Street, East Melbourne, was bequeathed to the Council of Adult Education (since renamed the

Centre for Adult Education The Centre for Adult Education (CAE), founded in 1947 as the Council of Adult Education, is an adult education institution based in Victoria, Australia. It runs short courses and nationally recognised training, as well as a Victorian Certificate ...

) and is now known as the Ola Cohn Memorial Centre. In 2002 the Centre for Adult Education considered selling Cohn's studio to raise money for new buildings. A public campaign at the time motivated the Victorian state government to intercede and fund the restoration of the Ola Cohn Memorial Centre Her studio at Gipps Street is still under the control of the CAE and is heritage listed.

Honours and awards

On 1 January 1965, shortly after her death, Cohn was appointed a

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for her work in the service of art, especially sculpture. In 2007 she was added to the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

References

ABC Radio - Hindsight, Broadcast 28 September 2008,
The Word in the Stone: sculptor Ola Cohn
'

External links

Papers of Ola Cohn
1912–1964, ''State Library Victoria'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohn, Ola 1892 births 1964 deaths Artists from Melbourne 20th-century Australian sculptors 20th-century Australian women artists Australian women sculptors People from Bendigo Australian sculptors Australian people of Danish descent