Rosalie Gascoigne: how a Canberra collector became art icon with no training
Rosalie Gascoigne was born in 1917. She had no formal art training. Yet she became one of Australia's most important artists. She started her career at 57.
Rosalie Gascoigne moved to Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra in 1943. She was the wife of an astronomer.
For 17 years, she lived alone with three children. Sometimes they had no car.
She spent her time collecting scraps: corrugated iron, shells, driftwood, feathers and old kitchenware. By the late 1960s, the family had moved to Deakin.
She was then collecting scrap metal and later soft-drink crates. Gascoigne had no formal art training.
But in the 1970s she found assemblage art. Her collecting habit fit perfectly with this art movement.
Her first show was in 1974 at age 57. She didn't have her own studio until 66.
In 1982, she became the first woman artist to show Australia at the Venice Biennale. Her works are now held by the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW.
The National Gallery of Australia shows more than 80 of her works. They range from early flower arrangements to bold later works made from road signs, old timber and retro-reflective materials.
She worked until her death in 1999.
- 1917
- Birth year
- 57 years old in 1974
- First exhibition age
- 1982, first woman from Australia
- Venice Biennale representation
- 80 plus works
- National Gallery of Australia holdings
Why it mattersHer story shows that talent and vision matter more than formal training or early career success. Isolation and hardship can also fuel creativity.
AustraliaAustralian art lovers can see a major retrospective of one of the country's most important artists at the National Gallery of Australia, honouring a Canberra-based creator.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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