This exhibition celebrates the career of Lily Allport (1860-1949). Allport worked as a professional artist for more than six decades.
Her grandmother Mary Morton Allport gave her drawing lessons as a child. At twenty-seven Lily Allport travelled to England. She studied under Hubert Vos and Charles Furse.
In 1891 she became the first Tasmanian-born artist to have her work hung at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. She was also the first Australian to produce colour lithographs in 1908. In 1935, back in Hobart, she set up the Bolt Press in her studio in Collins Street. There she concentrated on printmaking for the rest of her long life.
Despite her success, Lily Allport has never been recognised as a major artist. This exhibition coincides with the release of her first biography. Miss Lily: A Portrait of the artist Curzona Allport by Marian Jameson shows her contribution to Australian art.
The exhibition examines the ideas that inspired Lily’s work. Over eighty of her original pieces and personal objects are on display.
A series of bespoke merchandise has been developed for the exhibition. Items for sale include a selection of prints, library bags, a silk fan and a jigsaw puzzle. Purchases may be made online or at the exhibition.
When: 19 July until 10 November 2018
Where: Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts (ground floor, 91 Murray Street, Hobart).
Past exhibitions
View images of our past exhibitions on Flickr