Mary Cecil Allen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cecil Allen
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"Portrait of Mary Cecil Allen"
Photo taken in the 1920s |
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| Born |
Mary Cecil Allen
2 September 1893 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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| Died | 7 April 1962 (aged 68) Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States
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| Resting place | Provincetown Cemetery |
| Alma mater | National Gallery of Victoria Art School |
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Notable work
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Sea, studio: Winter, Sorento Hotel |
| Style | Cubism |
Mary Cecil Allen (born September 2, 1893 – died April 7, 1962) was a talented Australian artist, writer, and lecturer. She spent most of her adult life in America, where she was known as Cecil Allen.
At first, Mary painted landscapes and portraits. But in the 1930s, she started painting in more modernist styles, like cubism. In 1927, she gave lectures in New York City at famous places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Columbia University. She even wrote two books about art, The Mirror of the Passing World (1928) and Painters of the Modern Mind (1929), which were based on her lectures.
In 1930, Mary helped organize the first exhibition of Australian art in New York. It was called "First Contemporary All-Australian Art Exhibition." When she visited Australia, her talks helped introduce new ideas about modern art to artists and women in Melbourne. From 1949, she lived in Provincetown, Massachusetts, which was a well-known art colony. Her cubist painting, "Sea, studio: Winter," was created around this time. She passed away in 1962 at the art colony.
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Early Life and Art Training
Mary Cecil Allen was the daughter of Harry Brookes Allen, a medical professor, and Ada Rosalie Elizabeth, a community worker. She grew up in a staff house at the University of Melbourne because her father worked there.
Even though she could have studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree, Mary chose to study art instead. She learned from Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School starting in 1910. From 1912 to 1913, she studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in England when her family moved there. She then returned to the NGV Art School from 1913 to 1917.
Becoming a Known Artist
In the 1920s, Mary was part of several art groups in Melbourne, Australia. Her landscape and portrait paintings were very popular. She was also friends with important people like Ivy Brookes (daughter of a former Prime Minister) and had famous figures like Nellie Melba open her art shows.
Two of Mary's portraits were chosen as finalists for the famous Archibald Prize in 1921, and two more in 1925. In September 1921, she showed fifty-four oil paintings at a gallery in Melbourne. In 1925, Mary became the first female art critic for The Sun News-Pictorial newspaper.
At first, Mary was not a fan of modern art. She even criticized some modern artists, saying their work created "nothing but monsters." However, her views would soon change. In 1926, she became the first woman to work as an art guide and lecturer at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Lectures in America
In 1926, an American tourist named Florence Gillies invited Mary to guide her through art galleries in Europe, especially in Paris. After this trip, in 1927, Mary began giving lectures in New York City. She spoke at major places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Columbia University.
Mary also led a series of lectures at the New York Public Library, which were supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. From then on, she mostly lived and worked in New York. People said Mary was great at helping others understand art. She used clear words that made it easier to see and appreciate the artwork.
Embracing Modern Art
After her travels and work in Europe and America, Mary Cecil Allen changed her mind about modern art. She became a strong supporter of it. She wrote two books, The Mirror of the Passing World (1928) and Painters of the Modern Mind (1929), based on her lectures. In her second book, she explained that art should share ideas, not just copy what we see.
In 1930, Mary organized a big event: the first exhibition of Australian artists in New York. It opened in February 1931 at the Nicholas Roerich Museum. The show featured one hundred paintings, including her own work and pieces by other artists like Norman Lindsay and George Bell. The exhibition was very popular and attracted many visitors. Mary also gave lectures about the artworks during its tour.
A French modern art magazine, La Revue Moderne, wrote about her in 1931. The New York Times newspaper even called her work in the Australian Art exhibition "arrestingly modern." This was different from the more traditional art shown by other Australian artists.
Sharing Modernism in Australia
Mary returned to Melbourne, Australia, for eleven months in 1935. While there, she spoke to many women's groups, sharing her knowledge of modern art. Receptions were held for her by various art and community societies.
At a party in October 1935, Mary talked about the differences between female painters in New York and Australia. She noted that New York had a special gallery just for women artists. She also said that the history of female painters was not well-known, encouraging women to look to the future.
Mary's paintings, which included abstract pictures of New York skyscrapers and subways, were shown at a gallery in Melbourne in August 1935. These paintings caused a lot of discussion because they were so different. People were surprised by the way she distorted images, which they saw as a "lack of realism." Despite the controversy, the exhibition was a success and drew large crowds.
Mary also brought the American idea of weekend sketching schools to students in Melbourne. She lectured at the Bell-Shore School, encouraging a cubist approach to art. She taught that artists should pay equal attention to both the main subject and the empty space around it. She believed that cubism was the best way to understand the basic shapes of nature.
Life at the Art Colony
From 1949, Mary lived and worked in Provincetown, Massachusetts, at its famous art colony. Her cubist painting, "Sea, studio: Winter," was created there in 1949. It was later shown in Melbourne. In June 1950, Mary traveled to Alice Springs in Australia to capture the unique beauty of central Australia for an exhibition in New York. She also wrote "Notes on Central Australia" for an Australian literary magazine.
Her last visit to Australia was from November 1959 to April 1960, where she gave lectures and exhibited her art. An art critic from The Age newspaper praised her ability to arrange shapes and forms into a unified picture. The critic noted that her painting "Sea, studio..." showed an "admirable" sense of space in its design.
Death and Legacy
Mary Cecil Allen passed away on April 7, 1962. She was found in her chair by neighbors, having died from a medical condition. She was buried at the Provincetown Cemetery.
Today, eight of Mary's paintings are kept at the National Gallery of Victoria. Her personal papers are stored at the Archives of American Art. Some of her artworks have also been sold at auction, including Sacrifice and Sorento Hotel.
In 1963, the Art Teachers Association of Victoria started the Mary Cecil Allen Memorial Lecture. This lecture is given every year by an international or Australian speaker, honoring Mary's contributions to art education.
Selected Paintings
- In Fancy Dress (1918)
- Portrait (1921)
- Mrs R. D. Elliott (1925)
- Sketch: Miss Audrey Stevenson as Circe (1930)
- Reclining blue figure (1930s)
- Back gardens (1935)
- Nova Scotian fisherman (1935)
- Old mill stairs, Nantucket (1949)
- Sea, studio: Winter (1949)
- Manhattan' (1950s)
- Abstract Figure Composition (1959)
- Fisherman at the nets (1959)
- Eildon Weir, dusk (1960)
- Near Yan Yean Victoria (1960)
- Storm approaching Eildon Weir (1960)
- Sacrifice (undated)
- Sorento Hotel (undated)
