Nora Heysen became the first woman to win the Archibald Prize in 1938, yet the media response focused on her domestic life. This weekend, the Art Gallery of South Australia opens an exhibition highlighting Heysen and other local female artists who traveled to Europe before World War II, showcasing their portraits and still lifes that helped catalyze the modernist art movement in Australia.
The exhibition matters because it corrects a historical oversight, bringing attention to the underappreciated role of these 'messenger girls' who brought modernist ideas back to Australia. By reframing their contributions, the show challenges gender biases in art history and enriches the narrative of Australian modernism.