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.
