Since the end of the 19th century, a number of female artists have defied social constraints and left Australia to pursue international careers. The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney is presenting a major exhibition on this theme for the first time. Over 200 works of art by well-known and newly discovered Australian women artists are on display, illustrating how modern art movements came to Australia, were interpreted there, and developed in a country-specific way. These include realism, impressionism, post-impressionism, and cubism. The works in this exhibition challenge existing notions of ambition and success and explore color, light, form, and movement. Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940 runs from October 11, 2025, to February 15, 2026. The exhibition was previously on display at the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide.
Featuring famous and rediscovered paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, and ceramics, the exhibition brings these important Australian artists back into the spotlight and honors their contribution to the development of European art. They brought new ideas back to Australia and played an important, often overlooked role in the modernization of the country. Works by Grace Cossington Smith, Grace Crowley, Bessie Davidson, Agnes Goodsir, Nora Heysen, Margaret Preston, Alison Rehfisch, Gladys Reynell, and Hilda Rix Nicholas, among others, are on display.
