Overview

Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection presents an intimate, rarely seen collection by one of the most original artists of early twentieth century Australia.

Deeply sensitive to the effects of colour, light and atmosphere, Beckett painted the life and scenery of her coastal home in south-east Naarm/Melbourne with an eye for the commonplace and fleeting effects of nature. Her work captures a world on the cusp of modernisation, evoking both the natural environment and simple pleasures of suburbia.

In 1972, the artist's sister Hilda Mangan donated a group of Beckett's works to the National Gallery. It is this collection that will be on view for the first time, their freshness and vitality have been recently restored by extensive conservation treatment.

Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection is a National Gallery Touring Exhibition.