MELBOURNE.- This December the National Gallery of Victoria presents a major retrospective of the work of one of Australia’s most accomplished artists, Rosalie Gascoigne (1917-1999).

This exhibition is the first major survey of Gascoigne’s work to be seen in Melbourne.

Rosalie Gascoigne presents over 80 works ranging from the box-like assemblages of her early career such as The Colonel’s lady through to the large-scale installations and works constructed from retro-reflective road signs including Checkerboard and Sweet Sorrow.

Kelly Gellatly, Curator, Contemporary Art, NGV said Rosalie Gascoigne had an amazing ability to find beauty in ordinary things.

“This retrospective investigates Gascoigne’s ability to draw creative inspiration from the discarded; her intrinsic response to her chosen materials and her unique ability to convey the essence of nature and the captivating effects of light, air and space.”

“Each work is a reflection of Gascoigne’s innate knowledge of the country in which she travelled and fossicked over a period of some fifty years,” said Ms Gellatly.

Rosalie Gascoigne came to art relatively late in life, first exhibiting her work in 1974 at the age of 57. She went on to quickly establish a reputation as one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, exhibiting extensively both in Australia and overseas.

In 1982 Gascoigne became the first female artist to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale. She exhibited numerous times at the Sydney Biennale and in 1994 was honoured with an Order of Australia for her services to the arts.

Frances Lindsay, Deputy Director, NGV said this important retrospective was a tribute to an exceptional artist.

“Rosalie Gascoigne captured the poetry of the Australian landscape like no other artist of her time. We are thrilled to be holding the first Melbourne retrospective of her work,” said Ms Lindsay.

Rosalie Gascoigne was born in Auckland New Zealand in 1917. She immigrated to Australia in 1943 where she married astronomer Ben Gascoigne. Whilst she did not undertake any formal art training, Gascoigne studied Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. She excelled in her Ikebana studies, and later credited it with teaching her about line and form, which was to become central to her development as an artist.