Mary Alice Evatt facts for kids

Mary Alice Evatt (1898–1973) was an Australian artist. She also supported other artists and worked to promote art. Mary Alice was involved in politics too. In 1943, she became the first woman to be a trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This meant she helped manage the gallery.

She was known for supporting modern art in Australia. In 1938, she even studied art in Paris with a famous teacher, André Lhote. Mary Alice Evatt helped bring new art ideas to Australia from the 1930s to the 1950s. Her husband was a well-known lawyer and politician. This gave her a special chance to be active in public life as an artist.

Early Life and First Steps in Politics

Mary Alice was born in Iowa, USA. Her father, Samuel Sheffer, was a chemist who made products. Her family moved a lot when she was young. They lived in New Zealand, then Melbourne, Australia. Finally, they settled in Sydney. Her family had a comfortable life because her father's business did well.

She started studying architecture at the University of Sydney. But then she met H.V. Evatt. To share his interests, she changed her studies to law. They got married in 1919. Her father didn't approve because he thought H.V. Evatt was from a lower social class. They went overseas for their honeymoon. Mary Alice also wrote poetry throughout her life, but it was never published. In the 1920s, she actively helped her husband. She campaigned among women voters. She also helped families who were struggling during the Great Depression.

Art Career in the 1930s

In 1930, her husband became a judge. This meant they traveled often. Mary Alice used this time to study art. She attended two important art schools in Australia. These were the Bell-Shore School in Melbourne and the Crowley-Fizelle school in Sydney. She was a dedicated student. Her art skills grew quickly. Even though she didn't paint a huge number of works, her paintings were as good as those by more famous artists.

She knew a lot about modern art from around the world. This was unusual for an Australian artist at the time. In Melbourne, she became good friends with Moya Dyring. Moya was an early Australian cubist painter. They stayed friends for life. Mary Alice often visited Moya in Paris. The two women painted together in France.

Art supporters John and Sunday Reed were also her friends. Through them, Mary Alice and her husband became part of the Heide Circle. This was a group of artists and thinkers. Mary Alice and her husband also joined the Contemporary Art Society. This group supported new art. In 1938, Mary Alice studied with André Lhote in Paris. She also studied with Hans Hofmann in New York.

Art Gallery of New South Wales Trustee

Mary Alice was made a trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in 1943. She often disagreed with the other trustees. They usually had more traditional views. For example, she voted against them during a big argument. This was about William Dobell's portrait of Joshua Smith.

She was a strong supporter of a young art historian, Bernard Smith. He managed art exhibitions that traveled from the AGNSW. These shows went to country areas of New South Wales during World War II. Mary Alice had pushed for these exhibitions. She was one of the strong women who helped Bernard Smith's career. She stayed a trustee until 1970. She was the only female trustee during those years.

Her public work and political beliefs connected the Australian Labor Party with the art world. This link became official much later, in 1972. Mary Alice's support for Smith also helped him become very influential. It helped start his career. So, Mary Alice Evatt had a very wide influence as a woman artist.

Public Life and World War II

Mary Alice's activities went beyond Australia. Her husband was a deputy leader in the government during World War II. This meant they spent time in the United States. Her influence grew even more when H.V. Evatt became the first president of the United Nations General Assembly. This happened from 1946 to 1948.

The couple had a home in Paris. They spent a lot of time there. She met the famous artist Pablo Picasso in Paris. She even invited him to attend the UN assembly. She also knew other important people. These included F.D. and Eleanor Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, and Winston Churchill. She bought Australian art for Queen Elizabeth II. After World War II, she worked in Paris. She helped art teams bring public artworks out of safe storage where they had been kept during the war.

In the 1950s, a more traditional government came to power in Australia. This meant the Evatts' influence in politics and art decreased. However, Mary Alice still had connections. She had a long friendship with Maie Casey. Mary Alice saw Maie Casey, like Eleanor Roosevelt, as a friend who shared her ideas.

H.V. Evatt's health got worse. This also limited Mary Alice's time for public and cultural work. But she still held some positions. She was in charge of Art and Letters for the National Council of Women. She also led groups connected to the United Nations. Mary Alice judged several art shows. Some of her valuable art collection was sold. This included a painting by Modigliani. The money helped pay for H.V. Evatt's health care.

She settled in Canberra. Even there, she found time to study art. She studied with Desiderius Orban. Later, she studied at the Canberra School of Art. There, she focused on sculpture. Sculpture became a main interest for her in her later years.

Exhibitions

From 2002 to 2005, a big exhibition of her art toured Australia. Dr. Melissa Boyde organized it. The Bathurst Regional Gallery supported it. The exhibition showed her modern artworks. It traveled to places like the Heide Museum of Modern Art and the Canberra Museum and Gallery. It also went to the S.H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney. In 2018, Dr. Boyde also put together 'Art for the People: Mary Alice Evatt'. This show was at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Gallery.