Nora Heysen (1911-2003)

Biography

Born in Hahndorf, South Australia, in 1911. Nora Heysen is the daughter of fellow artist Sir Hans Heysen, and is best known for being the first woman to win the Archibald Prize in 1938 at the age of 27. Nora initially studied art with her family, and later at the Adelaide School of Fine Arts between 1926 and 1932. She traveled extensively and spent time in Europe throughout her life, studying at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London between 1934-1936, and at the Byam Shaw School under Ernest Jackson for six months.

Her first solo exhibition was of portraits and still lifes in 1933 at the Royal South Australian Society of Arts Galleries in Adelaide, and Heysen continued these subjects over her entire career. Portrait subjects have included her Archibald-winning Madame Elink Schuurman, and artist Lionel Lindsay. Heysen served as official war artist between 1943 and 1946, during which time she met her future husband Dr Robert Black. Numerous retrospective exhibitions of her work have been held, including a significant show at the National Library of Australia in 2000. Nora died in 2003 at the age of 92.

Exhibitions

Has had over 10 solo and 11 group exhibitions since 1930 throughout Australia, including a significant retrospective at the National Library of Australia, 2000.

Selected exhibitions include:
1933 Royal South Australian Society of Arts Gallery, Adelaide
1975 Australian Women Artists 1840-1940, Ewing & George Paton Galleries, Melbourne University and touring
1993 A Century of Women Artists, Deutscher Galleries, Melbourne

Awards

1938 Archibald Prize
1973, 75 L. J. Harvey Memorial Drawing Prize, Queensland Art Gallery
1991 Emeritus award from the Visual Arts & Crafts Board of the Australia Council
1998 Order of Australia (OA)

Collections

National Gallery of Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of South Australia
Queensland Art Gallery
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Australian War Memorial
National Library of Australia
National Portrait Gallery
Many regional galleries, including Newcastle, Armidale, Ballarat and Hamilton
Many corporate and private collections

Sources:
Klepac, L. Nora Heysen, The Beagle Press, Sydney, 1989
Burke, J. Australian Women Artists 1840-1940, Greenhouse, Melbourne, 1980
Lou Klepac Nora Heysen National Library of Australia, Canberra 2000
Barry Pearce‘In 1938, the first woman to win the Archibald Prize’ Sydney Morning Herald, 14 January 2004

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