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ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 48| December 2000


Nora Heysen

In 1938, for the first time, the Archibald Prize was won by a woman—Nora Heysen—who gained a further distinction in 1943 by being the first woman appointed as an official war artist. Curated by Lou Klepac, this exhibition of paintings and drawings spans nearly 60 years of her career and is drawn from both public and private collections. The Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Australian War Memorial, the National Portrait Gallery and ‘The Cedars’ (originally the family home and now the Hans Heysen Museum in Hahndorf, South Australia) are amongst the lenders. Highly regarded for her portraiture skills, Nora Heysen is also known for her exquisite still life studies.

Exhibition Hours
9 am–5 pm daily
25 October 2000–28 January 2001
Exhibition Gallery, National Library
Admission is free
Guided tours Monday to Sunday
10 am–4 pm
Guided tours not available from
22 December–1 January 2001 (inclusive)

Nora Heysen

Nora Heysen at the exhibition opening, standing between two self-portraits painted in 1932.
Photograph: Richard Briggs, reprinted courtesy of the
Canberra Times

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