About Margaret Johnson
Lived 1898 – 1967 (aged 68–69). Margaret Johnson was a painter.
Margaret G. Johnson, (18981967) was a Sri Lankan born Australian portrait artist.
Early life Margaret G. Woods was born to father James Wood, a Scotsman in Kadugannawa, Ceylon. She was one of seven children who all had an interest in painting and drawing. At a young age her father immigrated to Western Australia. Her portraits would be found in the National Gallery of Australia, Parliament House in Perth, and at the Perth City Council. Her portraits of Prime Minister John Curtin and Perth Art Gallery curator George Pitt Morison are found in the Art Gallery of Western Australia, while James Mitchell's portrait was in the Treasurer Building and John Kirwan in Parliament House. Johnson also exhibited her portrait of Pitt-Morrison for the Archibald Prize. Her other exhibits for the prize included General Gordon Bennett.
She was a member of the West Australian Society of Arts, and taught painting and art at the Busselton Technical School.
Edith Dircksey Cowan Memorial In 1934, her model for a portrait plaque of Edith Cowan was chosen from several local Western Australian entries to be the choice for a memorial work on a clock tower in Kings Park, Perth. The Cowan bust was in high relief above a wreath of gum leaves and nuts and was cast in bronze, above a bronze inscription on the eastern face of the clock tower.
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Important facts
People in Margaret Johnson's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Margaret Johnson's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Margaret Johnson?
Sri-Lankan born Australian portrait artist (1898-1967)
When was Margaret Johnson born?
Margaret Johnson was born in 1898.
When did Margaret Johnson die?
Margaret Johnson died in 1967.
What was Margaret Johnson's occupation?
Margaret Johnson was a painter.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Margaret Johnson (artist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Margaret Johnson. https://biography.guide/margaret-johnson-painter/
MLA: "Margaret Johnson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/margaret-johnson-painter/.
Chicago: "Margaret Johnson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/margaret-johnson-painter/.
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