Introduction

Although Australia boasts a significant number of female artists, time and again they remain in the shadow of their male counterparts. The sphere of women’s art is often perceived to be confined to the crafts, ceramics, sketching and other smaller genres.  The aim of this portal is to dispel these traditional perceptions. In its introduction, the portal provides links to a number of trusted resources that highlight the history of women’s art in Australia from colonial times to the present. Most importantly however, here you will find information on four women who do not fit the stereotypical description of a female artist and instead found their way to success and recognition. Among them are Margaret Olley, Tracey Moffatt, Mirka Mora and Vali Myers. This portal can be used as a starting point for research related to contemporary Australian art, in particular women’s art but also to broader issues of women’s emancipation, social justice and recognition.

General Sources

The following resources cover the history of Australian women artists from the colonial times to the present. They create a picture of the rich legacy produced by women artists in Australia despite challenging and at times hostile circumstances.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

Websites

• Australian Women's Archives Project 2011, Australian Women’s Register, Australian Women's Archives Project, viewed on 21 September 2011, <http://www.womenaustralia.info/>.

Australian Women's Register is a valuable and growing source of biographical data about Australian women and their organisations, with hyper-links to the archival repositories and libraries where their records are held and to other sources of information. Women and women's organisations are listed alphabetically. This resource can be used at the beginning of the research process to search for a particular artist or organisation.

• Design and Art Australia Online 2010, Design and Art Australia Online, Design and Art Australia Online, viewed on 21 September 2011, <http://www.daao.org.au/>.

Design and Art Australia Online is a collaborative e-Research tool built upon the foundations of the Dictionary of Australian Artists Online. It is an open source freely accessible scholarly tool that presents biographical data about Australian artists, designers, craftspeople and curators. Unlike the abovementioned Australian Women’s Register that deposits information on women and women’s organisations only, Design and Art Australia Online is focused on artists and designers in general and thus provides more search opportunities.

• National Institute for Experimental Arts 2010, Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, National Institute for Experimental Arts, viewed 22 September 2011, <http://www.niea.unsw.edu.au/about/niea-groups/dictionary-australian-artists-online-daao/>.

The Dictionary of Australian Artists Online is a dynamic repository of quality assured biographical data, contextual information, and commentary that is overseen by an editorial board comprising Australia's leading art and design academics and curators. The Dictionary of Australian Artists Online facilitates, promotes and encourages scholarship on Australian artists. It can be used in addition to both Design and Art Australia Online and Australian Women’s Register to search for more general information.

PRINTED SOURCES


Reference materials

• Kerr, J (ed.) 1995, Heritage: The National Women’s Art Book, G+B Arts International, Sydney.

Heritage is an extensive catalogue of a unique commemorative art movement, The National Women’s Art Exhibition that took place in 1995 as a series of independent shows of Autralian women artists in 150 separate locations. It united hundreds of artists, art writers, curators and art institutions in a common goal for the first time and became an example of an unprecedented national collaboration. With the subtitle “Five hundred works by five hundred Australian artists from Colonial Times to 1955,” Heritage becomes more than just an exhibition catalogue; in 11 chapters, each dedicated to a particular theme, it reveals a wide scope and a great depth of Australian women’s art. The chapters are: Exhibitions and Competitions; Gender and Identity; Happy Families; Home Sweet Studio; Learning and Earning; Social Life and Travel; Flora and Fauna; Town and Country; Grand Themes, Myths and Legends; War Works; and Nationalism and Heritage. This structure allows the user to brows the catalogue by topic rather than by the artist’s name although short biographies of all 500 artists are provided in the last third of the book. This is a very useful and exciting resource to begin an in-depth research into Australian women’s art.


This catalogue is available on shelf in the Arts section of the State Library of Victoria, call number AR 709.94 H42K. Free access, no subscription required.

• Kerr, J & Holder, J (eds.) 1999, Past Present: The National Women’s Art Anthology, Craftsman House, Sydney.

Past Present is a collection of 17 essays that grew out of analysis, observations and reflections prompted by the 1995 National Women’s Art Exhibition. These essays emphasise fundamental continuities in women’s art in Australia as well as demonstrate a new and fuller understanding of the multiple interconnections between the historical and the current. The essays cover a wide array of issues spanning from the problems of preservation of aboriginal women’s art to the dilemmas of visibility, representation and respect for women’s art and craft throughout the past two centuries. Their common theme is that the artists of all ethnic groups and both genders working in all materials and media are essential for a vibrant contemporary art scene. This resource can be recommended for an advanced research audience to be used in conjunction with the Heritage as well as on its own.

This anthology is available on shelf in the Arts section of the State Library of Victoria, call number AO 704.0420994 P26K. Free access, no subscription required.

Monographs

• Ambrus, C 1992, Australian Women Artists - First Fleet to 1945: History, Hearsay and Her Say, Irrepressible Press, ACT.

This folio edition illuminates the life and work of four generations of women artists who worked on cultural fringes of Australian art from the First Fleet to the end of World War 2. It comprises nine chapters, 52 colour plates and a number of black and while illustrations and photographs. The author’s main argument is that throughout the history women artists had been excluded from the artistic mainstream by their male counterparts. This forced each generation to reinvent the concept of woman artist instead of building up a continuous artistic tradition. Unlike other monographs of this kind, this resource provides information on women artists who succeeded as well as failed in establishing their artistic careers. In so doing, it pays tribute to those women who were previously forgotten but whose struggle for recognition and independence was nevertheless seminal for the success of the future generations of women artists.


This monograph is available at the State Library of Victoria upon request from an on-site storage, call number AF 709.94 AM1A. Requested items usually become available within an hour. Subscription to the library is required to place an order. 

• Burke, J 1980, Australian Women Artists 1840-1940, Greenhouse Publications, Melbourne.

This monograph has developed from a catalogue of the 1975 exhibition under the same title. It consists of four parts and included 87 colour and black and white illustrations as well as short biographies of the 44 women artists whose work it covers. Although this resource has its merits as the first history of Australian women artists, it is somewhat outdated and limited in scope. It confines itself to the analysis of the art and life of women artists who did became successful and provides limited analysis of the relevant social context. This resource can be recommended as a starting point for research but it is best to be complemented by other resources from this list.

This monograph is available at the State Library of Victoria upon request from an on-site storage, call number SLT 759.994A14. Requested items usually become available within an hour. Subscription to the library is required to place an order.

• Topliss, H 1996, Modernism and Feminism: Australian Women Artists 1900-1940, Craftsman House, Sydney.

This monograph covers one of the most important and fruitful periods in the history of Australian women artists when the role of women in art had been redefined and the foundation for the future development had been created. It comprises five chapters and multiple appendices that detail the chronology of artists’ travels abroad, their scholarships, and other information including an extensive bibliography. The author places the history of Australian women artists within the international context as well as against the social and economic background at home. The book presents a quality amalgamation of such important issues as the birth of art as an institution and a profession, women emancipation, and art and gender. It can be recommended for advanced readers who are interested in an in-depth analysis of Australian women art, as well as in modernism and feminism. 

This monograph is available at the State Library of Victoria upon request from an on-site storage, call number AF 709.94082 T62M. Requested items usually become available within an hour. Subscription to the library is required to place an order. 

•   Voigt, A 1996, New Visions, New Perspectives: Voices of Contemporary Australian Women Artists, Craftsman House, Roseville East, NSW.

This richly illustrated folio edition explores the life and work of the 34 contemporary Australian women artists through the series of interviews. It examines the creative process behind women’s art by asking them a number of standardised questions such as: what and who motivates their art; who made them aware of their artistic potential; how being a woman influenced their creative process; what is their ideas about art and their role in art; what is the meaning of their work, and many others. As the author puts in the introduction, this book “is in honour of the feminie principle in Nature and as expressed in Art.” As such, it provides a unique and intimate view of the women’s role in contemporary art and society. It can be recommended to those users who are interested in exploring the creative processes behind women’s art and the multiple interconnections between womanhood, nature and art.

This monograph is available at the State Library of Victoria upon request from an on-site storage, call number AF 109.9409045 V87N. Requested items usually become available within an hour. Subscription to the library is required to place an order.

Journal articles


Art and Australia is one of the country’s most well respected and diverse art journals. It first appeared in 1963 by Sam Ure Smith, as a hair to Art in Australia that was published and edited by Sam’s father, Sydney Ure Smith between 1916 and 1942. In the early 90’s the journal was purchased by international publishers Gordon and Breach but in 2001 was returned to Australian ownership and was acquired in 2003 by Elonora Triguboff, who is now publisher and editor-in-chief.

In 1995, Art and Australia dedicated its spring issue to women’s art (vol. 32, issue 3). The journal is available in hard copy from the State Library of Victoria Arts, call number AO 709.94 AR7H.

Below is the list of several articles from this the 1995 themed issue (in order of appearance):

• Burke, J, ‘Anima: feminist art since the seventies,’ p. 338-43.

In this article, the author discusses the relevance of the concept of women’s art in the contemporary world. She is concerned about the lack of an adventurous, informed and accessible way of discussing contemporary and, specifically, women’s art as well as about an absent historical perspective that challenges boundaries rather than creates them or imposes them on others. This article can be useful for the users interested in feminism, pos-structuralist theory as well as women’s art.

• Fenner, F, ‘New Girls: the disembodied culture of the nineties,’ p.344-9.

The article discusses the return of the physical body—its costumes and cosmetics—to women's art of the 1990s in relation to five young Australian artists: Mikala Dwyer, Kathy Temin, Deej Fabyc, Simone Paterson, and Suzannah Barta. These artists expose the myth of feminine fragility and open up new artistic avenues more appealing for contemporary women. The article can be recommended to users interested in contemporary art, feminism and body image.

• Johnson, V, ‘Is there a gender issue in aboriginal art?’ p. 350-7.

The article discusses the question of whether there is a gender issue in aboriginal art in the light of the 1989 Review Committee of the Aboriginal arts and crafts industry report which highlighted the fact that 56% percent of the 2,397 producers of Aboriginal arts and crafts in Australia were women. While women artists appeared to be far more prolific, this greater productivity did not translate into correspondingly higher economic returns. However, the author suggests that recent success of the best-known Aboriginal women artists may help to understand gender as a transformative force of all Aboriginal art rather than a limitation. This article will be useful for those readers interested in Aboriginal art, gender, and economic impact of arts and craft industry on the Indigenous community.

• Jordan, C, ‘No-man’s land? Amateurism and colonial women artists,’ p. 358-65.

The article discusses the 19th-century Australian women artists in terms of their marginality: their amateurism, their gender, and their colonial separation from Great Britain. The author suggests that although excluded from the male dominated “high art,” women artists had a greater presence in the art scene than many contemporary critics are ready to accept. This article can be recommended to those users who are interested in colonial period of Australian art and the role of women in the 19 century.

• Thomas, S, ‘In print - out of fashion: women artists and printmaking 1950-64,’ p. 372-9.

These articles cover a considerable period of Australian art history from colonial times to the nineties. They analyse a broad arrays of topics ranging from aboriginal art to feminism. They can be addressed individually or as a corpus of writings that detail various aspects of Australian women’s art.

Margaret Olley

Margaret Olley represents a more traditional take on art in Australia. She is arguably one of the best-loved Australian painters who dedicated her life to the seemingly domestic and “womanly” genre of still life. However, in her interpretation this tame genre has acquired new energy as she revealed hidden powers of Australian natural environment.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

Website

• Australian Government 2011, Australian Stories: Margaret Olley, Australian Government, viewed on 21 September 2011, <http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/margaret-olley>.

This resource introduces Margaret Olley as an Australian icon and a part of national legacy. It contains a brief biographical overview, a few reproductions of her work and the links to other resources that might be helpful for those interested in further exploring her art and life. The australia.gov.au is an official website of Australian Government that links to information and services on around 900 Australian Government websites and selected state and territory resources, and searches over four million web pages from Australian, state and territory governments. The section on Margaret Olley is located within The Australian Stories collection that covers key educational themes and cultural activities in Australia. The collection is managed by the Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Video

• Miss Olley [videorecording] 2003, ABC, 27 min.

This video captures an intimate portrait of Margaret Olley, in which her friend of many years, Barry Humphries, discusses her art and life with candour and humour. This resource dwells on the issues of interconnections between the artist’s personal life, her art and her relationships. It provides an alternative view of her art and life that complements written biographies. This resource can be recommended for users who are interested in getting a more private and intimate picture of Margaret Olley’s life and work.

This video is available at RMIT Swanston Library, call number AV 759.09 O46.


PRINTED SOURCES

Monographs

• France, C 2002 [1990], Margaret Olley, Craftsman House, St. Leonards, N.S.W.

This is a generously illustrated and lavishly printed artistic biography of Margaret Olley with 78 colour plates and 6 black and white figures. It covers her life and art from student years to the time of recognition. It also includes a detailed list of the artist’s exhibitions, awards and private collections holding her works. The monograph contains both a general bibliography and the artist bibliography up to 2001. It can be recommended as a starting point for research into the artist’s life and work.

Available at SLV upon request, call number 759.994 OL4F. Items requested from the SLV’s on-site storage usually become available within an hour. Subscription to the library is required to place an order.

• Stewart, M 2005, Far From Still Life: Margaret Olley, Random House Australia, Milsons Point, N.S.W.

This is a lively and readable (albeit very long, 568 pages!) biography of Margaret Olley written by Meg Stewart, and acclaimed writer with great passion for art and artists. This biography, intermitted with passages from many interviews with the artist, tries to unravel the real Margaret, away from the hype of publicity. It provides great insight into the life and work of Margaret Olley and can be recommended to be consulted for scholarly purposes as well as for sheer enjoyment.

This monograph is available on shelf in the Arts section of SLV, call number AO 759.994 OL4S. Free access, no subscription required.

Tracey Moffatt

Practicing since the 1980s and now basing herself between New York and Sydney, Indigenous filmmaker and photographer Tracey Moffatt has coined a particular artistic language and distinct style of photographic cinema to impart concepts of identity and society in a narrative format.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

Websites

• Brooklyn Museum 2008, Tracey Moffatt, viewed 15 September 2011,  <www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfUZ4-n3Roo >.

A three minute and six second interview with Moffatt that came out of her involvement in the Burning Down the House: Building a Feminist Art Collection exhibition, Brooklyn Museum October 31 2008 – April 15 2009. Moffatt defines feminist art and talks about making feminist statements. She refers to personal experiences of assertion in the art world and explains her art piece, Lip, featured in the exhibition.  This resource would appeal to visual and audio learners.

• James, B 2001, Australian Artist Tracey Moffatt, viewed 19 September 2011,  

       < http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/atoday/stories/s229128.htm >.

In the transcript, Moffatt describes her art practice with photography and prints including set designs, manifesting ideas, and technicalities of equipment. She describes the making of and responses to the pieces Artist (a video montage), Invocations (a photographic series), Scarred for Life (a photographic series) and comments on Telling Tales, a Monash University exhibition including some of Moffatt’s work (at the time of this interview, she was unsure which work would be included). The format and style of the interview, professional in its technical talk and informal by Moffatt’s personal experiences, provides a unique resource for school students studying art as well as a more general audience as it was originally recorded for a radio program for the general public. 

• Nelson, R 2004, Tracey Moffatt, Fairfax Digital, viewed 19 September 2011, <http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/13/1073877810745.html>.

A review of an array of Moffatt’s work coinciding with the artist’s exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, in 2009. It refers to Night Cries as the artistic masterpiece and explains Moffatt’s narrative photographic series and films and their use of props in a comical and sometimes tragic vein. There are two images; a self-portrait and a photo from Something More, 1989 series. The review is in the Arts section of The Age and is suitable for an audience interested in exhibitions and a brief history of Moffatt's art works.        

• Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Tracey Moffatt Artist Profile, viewed 19 September 2011,

 <http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/26/Tracey_Moffatt/profile/>.

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery is in Sydney. This website has a comprehensive list of Moffatt’s solo and group exhibitions, awards, film and video collections and distributors, collections, and bibliography spanning 1984 to 2011. There are links to 16 photographic series and 5 DVDs. The links go to exhibition images. The DVD links provide an image of the installation at the gallery and still shots from the film. There are also links to the gallery’s Press Releases for the exhibitions from these pages. This website would be a helpful tool for tertiary art students.

DVD

• Nice Coloured Girls 1987, DVD, Tracey Moffatt, Sydney.

A 17 minute film by Moffatt. Set one night in Kings Cross, Sydney, the film emphasises and explains (mostly with subtitles) the intelligent cunningness of three Indigenous women in achieving their desires in a ‘night out’ situation. It also explores the relationship between Indigenous women and white men since colonisation. There is little dialogue, and footage of Kings Cross nightlife. There are inserts of clips such as a painting and a beach scene and a profile shot of an Aboriginal woman. The film would be useful for an audience interested in Moffatt’s art, and video art more generally.

Located at RMIT Library in Audio Visual. Call number AV 305.488991 N588. There are video carousels at the Swanston Street branch of this library.

PRINTED SOURCES

Art Catalogue

• Art Australia (ed) 2008, Current: contemporary art from Australia and New Zealand, Dott Publishing, Sydney.

This catalogue reflects the concept of contemporary in art in Australasia. Moffatt features on pages 208-212; this section includes stills from her works First Jobs (Corner Store) and Fourth. Information about her place and year of birth as well as her representative is provided. There is also a quote from the Artist – “Just shut the hell up and do it, is my motto – words are cheap”.  This art catalogue would be useful as a starting point for researching the artist.       

Located at the State Library of Victoria in Arts - large books. Call number AOF 709.05 C93A. Free access, though items at the State Library of Victoria cannot be loaned.

Monograph

• Summerhayes, C 2007, The Moving Images of Tracey Moffatt, Charta, Italy.

This art publication examines Tracey Moffatt’s work in periods, including the famous collaborations with Gary Hillberg. The periods are to 1988, to 1992, to 1996 (part 1), to 1996 (part 2), to 1999, to 2003, to 2008. Most sections are set out with a title and information, followed by stills from the piece, followed by a storyboard. There is an Appendix including an Artist Profile. There is a bibliography and a photo album. This monologue would be useful as a starting point for researching the artist.           

Located at the State Library of Victoria in Arts - large books. Call number AOF 709.2 m72s. Free access, though items at the State Library of Victoria cannot be loaned.

Book Chapter

• Columpar, C 2009, ‘At the limits of visual representation: Tracey Moffatt’s still and moving images’, in C Columpar & S Mayer (ed.) There she goes: feminist filmmaking and beyond, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan.

This chapter examines how the theories of French film critic Metz can be applied to Moffatt’s photographic works which are described as having a cinematic feel. It includes a comparison of the cinematic features of Moffatt’s work exhibited in Free-falling at the Dia Centre in New York City, October 1997 – June 1998. There are two black and white photos, notes, references and explanations. It would be useful for a scholarly analysis of Tracey Moffatt.           
                

Located at the State Library of Victoria in Arts. Call number AO 791.43082 T34C. Free access, though items at the State Library of Victoria cannot be loaned.

Journal Articles

• Newton, G 2006, ‘Michael Riley: Kristina 1986’, Artonview, no. 46, p. 20, viewed 20 September 2011, Wilson Web database.

A short article that looks at how Moffatt’s art work challenges and emphasises popular portrayals of Indigenous identity. It explores the background of the NAIDOC ’86 Exhibition of Aboriginal and Islander Photographers, which was promoted by an image titled Kristina. The article is informative about the exhibition, and makes some interesting reflections about the art in the project more generally. It would be of use to an audience concerned with these things.

                                  

• Tang, J 2006, ‘Flights of Fancy’, Afterimage, vol. 33, no. 6, p. 38, viewed 20 September 2011, ProQuest database.

This two page article reviews and compares a number of Moffatt’s works at the time of a showing at a gallery exhibiting video and photographic works that experimented with post production, narrative construction and representation. The two focal pieces are Love (a video montage) and Adventures (panels of photos). The article explores how Moffatt’s “almost iconic images allude to film stills and movie posters” as a result of Moffatt’s process (casting, set design, digital alterations of photos) and direction. It examines the intertextuality and the political and racial content present in the artist’s work, as well as views from the artist herself to explain that contemporary video artists use a process and must respond to innovation to create their powerful images. For its focus on artistic practice, this resource would benefit tertiary and secondary art students learning about video art and this artist’s practice.

Mirka Mora

Mirka Mora is an example of an eccentric, bohemian artist whose work spans from painting and sculpture to doll-making. A noted symbolist and colourist, Mirka Mora often returns to reoccurring motifs, such as angels, dog, cats, birds and innocent wide-eyed children. Her unique child-like attitude that is so loved by her followers permeates her art and brings it to par with the best international examples.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

Websites

• William Mora Galleries 2011, Mirka Mora, William Mora Galleries, Australia, viewed 11^th September 2011, http://www.moragalleries.com.au/mirka.html.

William Mora is the son of Mirka Mora and her art dealer.  William is a well known contemporary art dealer and specialises in Aboriginal art.  Currently director of the William Mora Gallery in Richmond, Melbourne he overseas the Paddy Bedford Estate and the work of his mother, Mirka Mora.  William has been a significant promoter of Indigenous art and has given many artists such as Queenie McKenzie, Ginger Riley Munduwalawala, Willy Tjungurrayi and Brandy Tjungurrayi their first solo exhibitions. The gallery works closely with the aboriginal communities and community art centres to acquire works.  The William Mora Gallery also acts as the studio of Mirka Mora and residence for the Mora family.

• Wikipedia 2011, Mirka Mora, Wikimedia Foundation Inc, United States, viewed 9^th September 2011, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirka_Mora/>.

Mirka Madeline Zelik was born in 1928 in Paris, France to a Lithuanian father and a Jewish, Romanian mother.  The Mora family was scheduled for deportation to Auschwitz but the family evaded capture for 3 years by hiding in the forests of France.  Mirka and her husband Georges migrated to Melbourne in 1951 and soon became one of Melbourne’s most well known and much loved artists.  Mirka and her husband Georges were also responsible for the re-establishment of the Contemporary Art Society in Melbourne in 1953. Melbourne has also acted as a public canvas for the work of Mirka Mora, the mosaic murals at Flinders Street Station and St Kilda Pier, and a painted tram have helped liven up the city and bring a piece of her bohemian style to the residents and visitors of Melbourne.  Mirka is the mother of the three sons, Tiriel, Philippe and William.  Her autobiography entitled Wicked But Virtuous was published by Penguin Books in 2002.

Blogs

• Wikispaces 2011, Mirka at tolarno hotel, Tangient LLC, San Francisco California, viewed 11^th September 2011, <http://mirkamora.wikispaces.com/>.

This blog was started by a group of year 8 students from Toorak College.  The group of students were inspired by the work of Mirka Mora and her life story and chose her to conduct their Triumph Over Adversity school project.  The students made this wikispace and have included photographs, artworks and a transcript of the questions and answers of their interview with Mirka.  They have also included the telephone interview they conducted with the artist and there is also a section dedicated to their meeting with Mirka.  Mirka was so inspired by their project and mature interview techniques that the students were invited over to her house and studio for afternoon tea.  The students from Toorak College show great passion and genuine interest in Mirka Mora and their project and it is just another reminder of Mirka’s appeal to a diverse range of people and age groups.

Transcripts

• Enough Rope 2007, Mirka Mora, ABC TV, Australia, viewed 20^th September 2011, <http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1986557.htm/>.

Enough Rope was a talk show that aired on the ABC between 2002 and 2008.  It was hosted by Andrew Denton and re-defined the meaning of the talk show.  It was also produced by Andrew Denton and his Zapruder production company which aired 191 episodes and interviewed over 500 guests including Michael Parkinson, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Clinton, Steve Irwin and Barry Humphries.  The final episode of enough Rope was screened on Monday 8 December 2008.

On the 23^rd of July 2007, Mirka Mora was in the chair with Andrew Denton and it is one of the most extraordinary and interesting interviews with an artist.  Denton does not ask the usual, typical questions, he does his research and asks questions that get down to the core of the person, the soul of their work and their reason for being.  In this wonderful interview we learn about Mirka’s childlike playfulness through her pants dropping incident at Federation Square to her extraordinary childhood during the war and the family’s escape from the concentration camp and hiding in the French countryside.  We also hear about the bohemian lifestyle she lived in Melbourne and the European hospitality she brought with her and her husband Georges to the 3 restaurants she opened which became havens for the Melbourne art set.

PRINTED SOURCES

Monographs

• Beier, U, & Cox, P 1980, Mirka, Macmillan, South Melbourne, Vic.

Published in 1980, this book by Ulli Beier and Paul Cox includes Mirka’s life story and also chapters on the symbolism of her work and what influences her to paint.  The book also includes her controversial erotic drawings and poems from friends who have been influenced and inspired by her and her work.  The photography by Paul Cox of Mirka’s studio gives us a glimpse into her chaotic, child like existence and shows us her world, built from her own works and numerous collected objects.  We are also introduced to Mirka’s intricate and delicate embroidery works inspired by books on ancient toys and her childhood memories.  We learn about Mirka the teacher and towards the end of the book we read about her 1980 world view through her distinguishable sense of humour and her religious dedication to painting and creativity.

This book is available from La Trobe University, Borchardt Library, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, call number 709.94 M827Yb.

• Mora, M & Carter E 2003, Love and clutter, Viking, Camberwell, Vic.

Published in 2003, Love and Clutter is a personal record of pictorial works and collected paraphernalia by the French/Australian artist, Mirka Mora.  This wonderful book is divided into various chapters with delightful names such as, The Pewter Ashtray, The Bath in the Studio and A Tribute to the Dead Who Nestle in My Heart.  Each chapter is accompanied by a photograph, drawing or painting by Mirka.

The artist goes into great detail about the objects she collects and which she keeps with her in her art studio.  Mirka surrounds herself with her vast doll collection and teddy bears.  We also learn of her close friendship with Marcel Marceau, the internationally renowned French actor and celebrated mime artist.  This book is the equivalent of discovering and reading a great artist’s diary, complete with works, desires, sorrows and hope.

This book is available from RMIT Library, Carlton Branch, Melbourne, call number 709.040944 M827.

• Mora, M 2000, Wicked but virtuous, Viking, Ringwood, Vic.

Mirka’s book represents a vista of her life in the written form.  Her ultimate goal is that her work will encourage others to locate their own self expression and search for beauty and creativity in the great world around us.  A newly revealed written self-perspective and her reactions to life, art, people, places and love.  Art and the creative process are a fundamental spiritual reality to Mirka and a means by which she approaches the world.  Wicked But Virtuous is no ordinary autobiography.  It is a delightful recollection of an eccentric artist’s life and a rare glimpse into one of Melbourne’s much loved and rare treasures.

This book is available from La Trobe University, Borchasrdt Library, Bundoora Campus, Melbourne, call number 759.994 M827Xa1.

Journal article

• Hart, D 1999, ‘Mirka Mora: icons, memory and metamorphosis’,  Art and Australia 37, no. 2, p. 245-51, viewed 22^nd September 2011,  Art Full Text H W Wilson Database.

Deborah Hart discusses the work of Mirka Mora. Together with her husband, Mora migrated to Melbourne from Paris in the aftermath of World War II.  Since the 1940s, her work has covered a wide range of media, including drawing, painting, murals, doll-like sculptures, posters, and mixed-media icons. The message in her work is to find inspiration and imagination through personal journeys that shape the dream-life subconscious.

Vali Myers

Vali Myer is perhaps Australia’s most flamboyant, bohemian artist known equally for her striking presence and her exquisite fine pen and ink drawings that focussed on women, nature and animals. Vali divided her life between Melbourne, the notorious “Hotel Chelsea” in New York City and a fourteenth century cottage in her creative haven and animal sanctuary in Positano, Italy.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

Websites

• Outré Gallery, Melbourne. Viewed 30^th September, 2011, <http://www.outregallery.com/browse.aspx?Category=162>. 

This Gallery Website features an extended biography of Vali Myers by Julia Inglis.

Outré Gallery and Publishing are very honoured to be working closely with the Vali Myers Trust on a new book on the life and art of this amazing artist and person.  The book is set to be launched in 2012. 

• The Vali Myers Art Gallery trust, viewed 30^th September, 2011, <http://www.valimyers.com/>.

The Vali Myers Art Gallery Trust is a not for profit organisation dedicated to fostering and promoting the art of Vali Myers. It is the sole copyright holder of her work and is managed by Executive Director Ruth Cullen and Directors Julia Inglis and Robert Yarra.The intention of the trust is to establish a permanent museum for the work of Vali Myers.

DVD

• Cullen, Ruth. ‘Painted lady’, DVD, 2002, 26 min.

Produced and Directed by Ruth Cullen

In this delightful documentary, made as a sequel to the festival hit The Tightrope Dancer, director Ruth Cullen captures Australian artist and adventurer Vali Myers at her studio in the heart of Melbourne. With the Romany poet Lee Fuhler, and the Klezmer musical group Vardos whose wild music from Eastern Europe provides an exuberant backdrop to the “at-home”action, only this home and its inhabitants are unlike any that you’ve seen before. Categories: women’s interest, art, Vardos, Romany, gypsy, Melbourne.

• Cullen, Ruth. ‘The tightrope dancer’, DVD, 1990, 58min.

An engrossing documentary on artist and adventurer Vali Myers; the legendary flame-haired dancing Bohemian of post-war Paris; the Free Spirit of Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending and the creator of magical paintings. Shot on location in her wild remote valley in Salerno, and Naples where she dances with Vesuvian gypsies, Vali resumes her annual sojurn at New York’s Chelsea Hotel where she continues to take the city by storm.Featuring appearances by movie star Peter Weller (Robocop) musicians Deborah Harry (Blondie) and Chris Stein and George Plimpton. Categories: woman's interest, art, rock music, Romany, gypsy, poetry, New York City.

PRINTED SOURCES

Monographs 

• Menichetti, Gianni, ‘Vali Myers: Memoirs’, Golda Foundation; 1^st Ed. Sep 1, 2007, 244pp. ISBN-10: 0978560604

Gianni Menichetti's moving tribute to his lover, muse and friend, the unforgettable, hugely talented, feisty and fiery, Australian artist, Vali Myers, is a very beautiful and compelling true life love story.  Finely presented, with quality plates and touching vignettes of Vali's and Gianni's life with their beloved animals, this book is not only a collector's piece;it’s also a fabulous read. The honesty in this memoir shines through. Gianni's love for Vali is timeless, whilst acknowledging the joys and difficulties of life with a woman of uncommon beauty and uncompromising spirit.Categories: Biography, memoirs, women’s interest, art, Klezmer music, Romany, gypsy, romance, Italy.

Available at Outre Gallery, Melbourne online shop, <http://www.outregallery.com/browse.aspx?Category=162>.

• Myers, Vali, Elsken, E, Plimpton, George. A ‘Vali Myers: drawings 1949-79, Open House, London, 1980.127pp.ISBN-10: 0905664256

Foreword by Ed Van der Elksen. Introduction by George, A Plimpton. This book Features the artwork of Australian artist, Vali Myers. Great for collector’s and Vali Myers appreciators, includes many examples of her fine illustrations between 1949 and 1979. Categories: Australian artists, women's interest, art, illustrations.

Available through Amazon online book store, <http://www.amazon.com/Vali-Myers-Drawings-1949-79/dp/0905664256/>.

Journal Articles

•  Lennon, Peter ‘The window of death’.  The Artist, Vol. 96, The Artist Publishing Corp., 1981. The University of Michigan. Digitised Aug 2^nd, 2007.

Article discusses “The window of death” series of paintings, also features review of Open House’s 1974 Publication, ‘Vali Myers: drawings’.

• Norman, James. ‘Final dream of a bohemian priestess’ The Age, Periodical, Jan 18^th, 2003. Accessed 30^th Oct, 2011, <http://newsstore.theage.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=vali+myers&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=10years&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=AGE0301184SL3K1IP1M7>.

The dying wish of an artist is for a place where her paintings, drawings and diaries can be displayed for the people of Victoria as written by James Norman. This article focuses on the life and her last interview from her hospital bed aged 72.Having left Melbourne in 1949, Myers did not return until 1993, when she decided to settle here permanently. Now she lies in an inner-city hospital, ill but still wearing her trademark thick kohl eye make-up and a flower in her fierce red hair.

"I'm dying of cancer, but I may have two months left," she says frankly. "It's over my whole stomach. I appreciated that they just told me (this) straight out, here at the hospital."

Myers is hoping to fulfil one final dream. She has bequeathed her entire life's work - hundreds of paintings, sketches and vivid coloured diaries - to the state of Victoria as a gift. She hopes to find a sponsor, whether private or government, to display the work in a Vali Myers House.

"I'm going to give all my remaining work to the people of Victoria," she said. "I love it here. It's just a lovely city - the people are great, no bullshit."

Categories: Australian art, women artists, Melbourne, art collection.