Margaret Preston helped define Australian modern art but took from First Nations artists to do it
Margaret Preston returned to Australia after World War I with a clear mission: to create an art language that was unmistakably Australian. Trained in Europe and experienced as a wartime nurse, she believed that a nation's reputation rested on the originality of its artists, a conviction that guided her prolific career for the next five decades.
The recent exhibition at Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia showcases her signature bright palettes, flat forms and dark outlining across a range of subjects – from native blossoms to Sydney harbour scenes. Her mastery of woodblock printing, honed during studies of Japanese ukiyo‑e, allowed her to produce works where each print is hand‑coloured, ensuring no two pieces are identical.
Preston's legacy is anything but simple. As a pioneering female modernist she broke through male‑dominated circles, yet her fascination with Aboriginal motifs has sparked ongoing debate about cultural appropriation. Contemporary First Nations artists are presented alongside her pieces, offering a direct response to the ways she borrowed Indigenous symbols for decorative purposes.
Highlights include the Wheelflower block, displayed with the original woodcut that reveals her hand‑carved grid; the luminous harbour view Mosman Bay, Sydney Harbour that captures post‑war optimism; the resilient Flannel flowers, emblematic of her devotion to native flora; and her rare Self‑portrait, the first female commission for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which confronts the viewer with a defiant stare.
Overall, the show balances celebration of Preston’s artistic innovation with critical reflection on the cultural ramifications of her practice, inviting visitors to reconsider how Australian identity has been visualised and contested over the last century.