Agnes Goodsir

Biography Goodsir was born in Portland, Victoria, Australia, one of eleven children born to David James Cook Goodsir, Commissioner of Customs at Melbourne, and Elizabeth Archer (née Tomlins).

Her early art training started with Arthur T. Woodward at the Bendigo School of Mines and Industries from 1898 to 1899, and then the Académie Colarossi. From about 1912 she shuttled between London and Paris, but finally settled in Paris in 1921 at 18 rue de l'Odéon.

During her time in Paris Goodsir painted portraits of cosmopolitan women including her partner, Rachel Dunne, nicknamed Cherry. The Parisienne, a portrait of Cherry was painted around 1924.

Her work was acclaimed and exhibited at the New Salon, the Salon des Indépendants, and the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris as well as at the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute in London.

On a short visit to Australia in 1927, she exhibited at the Macquarie Galleries in Sydney and the Fine Arts Gallery in Melbourne. In 1938, four of her oils were shown at the sesquicentennial exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

She was a member of the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts.

Goodsir died in Paris, France in 1939.

Goodsir's work showed strong composition and technique, favouring oils over watercolours. Despite turning out a large number of still lifes and interiors, her forté was portraits, including Katharine Goodson, Leo Tolstoy, Ellen Terry, Banjo Paterson, Bertrand Russell, Dame Eadith Walker, Countess Pinci and Italian leader Benito Mussolini.

Collections Works are held in: Art Gallery of New South Wales - Chinese skirt Art Gallery of Western Australia - White Lilac Bendigo Art Gallery National Gallery of Australia - In a Latin Quarter studio and The Parisienne. National Gallery of Victoria - The letter, (Woman reading) State Library of New South Wales - A. B. Paterson, Banjo

Legacy

The Goodsir Scholarship awarded by the Bendigo Art Gallery is named in memory of her.

In 1978 a street in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm was named Goodsir Place in her honour.

Gallery