Mary Tonkin facts for kids

Mary Tonkin is an Australian artist. She is well-known for her amazing drawings and paintings. In 2002, she won the Dobell Prize, which is Australia's top award for drawing. She earned this prize for her artwork called Rocky Outcrop, Werribee Gorge 2000.

About Mary Tonkin

Mary Tonkin was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1973. She started her art journey at Monash University in 1992. There, she studied at the Faculty of Art and Design. She worked hard and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. Later, she also completed a Masters in Fine Arts.

Teaching and Exhibitions

From 1996 to 2004, Mary Tonkin shared her knowledge with others. She worked as a lecturer at Monash University, teaching art students.

Mary Tonkin has shown her art in many important exhibitions. One of her major shows was Near the top dam in 2007. Another big exhibition was Home 2000-2010, which looked back at her art from those years. This show took place at the Burrinja Gallery in Upwey, Victoria, in 2011 and 2012.

In 2022, her work was featured at the Sydney Contemporary art fair. This included a very large artwork called Ramble, Kalorama. This piece has 21 different panels and was created between 2017 and 2019. It was even written about in Art Almanac magazine in 2019.

Awards and Recognition

Mary Tonkin has received several important awards for her art. These awards show how talented and respected she is in the art world.

• In 2022, she won the Holding Redlich People's Choice Award. This was part of the Salon des Refuses at the S. H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney.
• In 2010, she received the Kedumba Prize for Drawing in Wentworth Falls.
• Her most famous award is the Dobell Drawing Prize. She won this top drawing award in 2002 from the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.

Solo Exhibitions

Mary Tonkin has had many solo exhibitions, where only her artwork is shown. Here are some of them:

• Both sides now, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2024
• Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks, Sydney, 2022
• Ramble, Whitehorse Artspace, Melbourne, 2020
• Ramble, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2019
• Between the dams, Australian Galleries, Sydney, 2017
• Two spots, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2015
• A short walk, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2013
• Black paintings, La Trobe Regional Art Gallery, Morwell, 2012
• Home 2000–2010, Burrinja Gallery, Upwey, 2011

Art Collections

Mary Tonkin's artworks are held in many important collections. This means her art is owned and displayed by galleries, universities, and other organizations.

• Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
• National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
• Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington
• Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton
• Kedumba Collection of Contemporary Australian Drawing, Wentworth Falls
• City of Whitehorse, Melbourne
• ANZ Bank, Melbourne
• Monash University, Melbourne
• Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
• Deakin University, Melbourne
• UNSW Art Collections, Sydney