About Ada May Plante
Lived 1875 – 1950 (aged 74). Ada May Plante was an Australian and New Zealand painter and artist.
Ada May Plante (4 October 1875 – 3 July 1950) was an Australian Post-Impressionist artist who was one of the founding exhibitors in the Post-Impressionist Melbourne Contemporary Group. She was a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.
Career Her first exhibition was with the Victorian Artists Society in 1901.
In 1902 she moved to Paris to study at Académie Julian, sharing a studio with Australian artist Cristina Asquith Baker. She exhibited her work from the academy after her return to Australia at the Victorian Artists Society. In 1907 she exhibited in the First Australian Exhibition of Women's Work which earned her prizes for portrait and figure painting.
In 1932 she exhibited her work in the first exhibition of the Melbourne Contemporary Art Group. She exhibited with the Contemporary Art Society in 1941 and 1943 and had her only solo exhibition at George's Gallery in 1945.
Throughout her life she lived in houses that she shared with other artists, allowing her to come into contact with many artists and be exposed to different ideas. While the beginning of her career saw her painting in an impressionist style similar to James Abbott McNeill Whistler, she was later able to master the post-impressionist style through encouragement from artists such as William Frater and Lina Bryans with whom she lived in an artists' colony in "The Pink Hotel" at Darebin. She earned critical acclaim from Basil Burdett (1897–1942) for her post-impressionist work.
Following her death in Melbourne on 3 July 1950, a memorial exhibition was held at the Stanley Coe Gallery in that city.
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Important facts
People in Ada May Plante's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Ada May Plante's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ada May Plante?
New Zealand born Australian painter (1875–1950)
When was Ada May Plante born?
Ada May Plante was born on 4 October 1875 in Temuka.
When did Ada May Plante die?
Ada May Plante died on 3 July 1950 in City of Armadale.
What was Ada May Plante's occupation?
Ada May Plante was a painter and artist.
What nationality was Ada May Plante?
Ada May Plante was Australian and New Zealand.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ada May Plante. https://biography.guide/ada-may-plante/
MLA: "Ada May Plante." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ada-may-plante/.
Chicago: "Ada May Plante." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ada-may-plante/.
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