Mary Edwell-Burke (1894–1988), was an Australian painter and carver.

Biography

Edwell-Burke was born on 19 June 1894 in Sydney. She was the half-sister of Bernice E. Edwell. She studied at the East Sydney Technical College. In the 1920s she exhibited with the Royal Art Society (as Mary Edwards). Edwell-Burke was a finalist for the Archibald Prize in 1921 and 1922. From 1935-1945 she exhibited with the

Australian Watercolour Institute The Australian Watercolour Institute (AWI) is a non-profit membership organization devoted to the advancement of watercolour painting in Australia. It was founded in 1923 by six painters in Sydney, and was modeled after the Royal Watercolour Soci ...

(as Mary Edwards). In 1944 Edwell-Burke, along with Joseph Wolinski, brought legal action to overturn

William Dobell Sir William Dobell (24 September 189913 May 1970) was an Australian portrait and landscape artist of the 20th century. Dobell won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait artists on three occasions. The Dobell Prize is named ...

's 1943

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 ...

for his portrait '' Mr Joshua Smith'', claiming the image was more a caricature than a portrait. In 1945 her portrait of Dame

Enid Lyons Dame Enid Muriel Lyons (née Burnell; 9 July 1897 – 2 September 1981) was an Australian politician who was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in federal cabinet. Prior to her own political ca ...

, was rejected as 'unsatisfactory’ by the Federal Government’s Historic Memorials Committee. Edwell-Burke subsequently moved to Fiji and changed her name from Mary Edwards to Mary Edwell-Burke. Edwell-Burke died on 19 January 1988 in Fiji.

References

External links

images of works by Mary Edwell-Burke
on Art Gallery of New South Wales {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwell-Burke, Mary 1894 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Australian women artists 20th-century Australian painters 20th-century Australian sculptors Artists from Sydney Australian women painters Archibald Prize finalists Australian women sculptors