Gwendolyn Muriel Grant

Gwendolyn Muriel Grant (1877–1968) was an Australian artist, who worked mostly in portrait work in the Impressionist style. Many of her works have coastal or beach scenes, in addition to formal portraits and she was part of a vanguard of women exhibiting their work in Australia.

Early life Gwendolyn Muriel Stanley (later known by her married name Grant) was born on 24 May 1877 in Ipswich, Queensland, to Scottish born Montague Stanley, a station manager and his wife Maud Craig. Her grandfather was an artist and actor in Scotland, and her uncles were architect F.D.G. Stanley and railway engineer H.C. Stanley. After the death of her mother in 1879, Gwendolyn was raised by members of her mother's family in Brisbane. She was educated at the Miss Clark's School in Toowong and then studied art at Brisbane Technical College under Godfrey Rivers. She entered the Royal Queensland Art Society’s annual exhibition in 1899. under the instruction of Bernard Hall, Frederick McCubbin and Leslie Wilkie. She returned to Brisbane in 1912. Stanley shared a studio with Vida Lahey, taught classes and served on the Art Society’s council. She married fellow artist William Grant in Brisbane in 1915, who referred to her as “Stan”, and continued her artistic work, whilst raising their two children.

Gwendolyn Grant was president of the Brisbane Lyceum Club in 1923. She exhibited her works in 15 solo exhibitions and 4 with her husband. She taught art at the Brisbane CTC until she was 75. and Queensland Art Gallery.

A retrospective of she and her husband's work was published - Gwendolyn and W.G. Grant : their art and life in 1990. Her work was featured in the Brisbane Museum's 2019-2020 exhibition on women artists.