This book charts the vital role of Australian women artists in the development of international modernism. Belonging to an unprecedented wave of women who travelled to Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, they prevailed against centuries of social constraints – often making great sacrifices and experiencing prejudice – to pursue professional careers on an international stage. Lavish colour illustrations enrich a collection of long and short-form essays that offer detailed insights into the works of art. Also discussed are the many obstacles these women overcame, including their exclusion from key exhibiting and training opportunities, while highlighting the extensive women’s networks they built and their connections to the women’s suffrage movement. New and expanded understandings of modern art movements are revealed and encompass the role of long overlooked themes such as faith, feeling and emotion. Featuring both celebrated and recently rediscovered paintings, sculpture, prints and ceramics, this is the first book to comprehensively reclaim the international contributions of Australian women. No longer regarded as mere ‘messenger girls,’ these travelling artists are recognised as pivotal figures in the transmission of new ideas back to Australia and beyond during a time of rapid social and cultural change.
