“Is it too great a truism to repeat that the best art is always the child of its own age?” – Eveline W Syme.
Celebrating the artistic friendship of Melbourne artists Ethel Spowers and Eveline Syme, Spowers & Syme presents the changing face of interwar Australia through the perspective of two remarkable women artists. After studying art together in Paris and London, Spowers and Syme returned to the conservative art world of Australia, where they became enthusiastic exponents of modern art during the 1930s and 40s. The rhythmic patterns of their drawings and prints reflect the fast pace of the modern world through everyday observations of childhood themes, overseas travel, and urban life.
Ethel Spowers, School is out, 1936. National Gallery of Australia, purchased 1976. Courtesy National Gallery of Australia, Australian Capital Territory
Canberra Museum and Gallery
13 August 2021 to 12 February 2022
Australian Capital Territory
Western Plains Cultural Centre
26 February to 29 May 2022
New South Wales
Geelong Gallery
16 July to 16 October 2022
Victoria
S.H. Ervin Gallery
3 December 2022 to 12 February 2023
Sydney
QUT Art Museum
11 March to 4 June 2023
Queensland
