Pat Larter

Patricia Larter (1936–1996) was an Australian artist who worked across mail art, video, photography, performance and painting. She was "one of the leading figures in the movement known as 'international mail art'". She is credited with coining the term "femail art" that was taken up by other mail artists around the world.

Life

Born 8 July 1936 in Leytonstone, Essex Patricia Florence Larter (Née Holmes) the elder of two daughters Pat and her family lived at Canvey Island. Her father died of TB when she was young and her wages were needed to support the family.

Pat met her long time collaborator and husband Richard Larter at Perfect Lambert & Co where they were both employed. They married on 18 February 1953 when Pat was just sixteen and migrated to Australia in 1962. They had five children Lorraine, Nicholas, Derek, Diane and Eliza.

Settling in Luddenham, New South Wales the Larter's stayed until 1982 when they moved to Yass, New South Wales.

Pat died on 6 October 1996, an untimely death from cancer.

Art

Larter's art aimed to "parody what she described as 'malegiven sexual stereotypes', largely focusing on the ephemeral forms of performance and mail art". She "exchanged art with an enormous range of international artists and represented Australia in all major exhibitions of postal art". "Her collection of mail art (now held in the research library of the AGNSW) is the most comprehensive one accumulated in Australia." was taken on by female mail artists worldwide including Anna Banana who used the term "in the title concept of VILE magazine vol. 6, no 3"

Pat and Dick

Larter features in many of Richard's paintings and is frequently described as his muse. The boundaries between their individual practices often overlap. "Under Pat’s direction, Richard took the photographs of her that she used in her work but he also used those photographs as sources for his paintings. The pair also produced many collaborative super-8 films and prints." Their individual work shares themes and motifs.

In her mail art all correspondence and mailings posted by Larter, that included works made individually or in collaboration, were signed "Pat & Dick" or "Pat and Richard Larter".

Exhibitions

Selected solo exhibitions

2015, Femail Art, Mailbox Art Space, Melbourne 2013 Paintings, Watters Gallery, Sydney 2011 Paintings, Watters Gallery, Sydney 2009 Abstract and Figurative Paintings, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2005 Paintings, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2003 Abstract and Figurative Paintings, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2002 Paintings, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2001 Paintings (unexhibited work 1992-1994), Legge Gallery, Sydney 1999 Patricia Larter 1936-1996, Legge Gallery at Watters Gallery, Sydney 1997 Pat Larter, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1996 Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1995 New Paintings and Super Scans With Glitter, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1994 Allusions and Illusions, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1993 Bedazzled, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1992 Rhapsody in Colour, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1991 Laser Prints, Manfred Stirnemann Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland 1986 Mail Art Show, Artists' Union, Osaka, Japan

Selected group exhibitions

2015 See You At The Barricades, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 2014 Glitter: Pat Larter vs Lola Ryan, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of Western Australia 2013 Like Mike, Sarah Scout Presents, Melbourne 2011 Frank's Flat, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW 2010 Art Month Sydney, Watters Gallery, Sydney 2010 Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 2010 Summer Exhibition, Watters Gallery, Sydney 2009 Summer Exhibition, Watters Gallery, Sydney 2008 Richard Larter: A Retrospective, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 2008 Melbourne Art Fair 2008, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 2007 Summer Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2007 Art Sydney '07, Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park, Sydney 2006 Larter Family Values, Travelling exhibition : University of Tasmania Centre for the Arts; Queensland University of Technology & Liverpool Regional Museum 2006 Group Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2006 Summer Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2006 Melbourne Art Fair 2006, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 2005 Summer Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2004 Melbourne Art Fair 2004, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 2003 Summer Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2002 Stripperama: The Work of Richard Larter, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne 2002 Melbourne Art Fair 2002, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 2002 Group Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2002 Summer Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2000 Ten Years, Legge Gallery, Sydney Sixth Australian, Legge Gallery, Sydney 2000 Summer Exhibition, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1999 Exploratory Behaviour, National Gallery of Victoria 1999 10Th Summer Exhibition, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1998 Christmas Show, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1997 Sanguine Valediction, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1996 Mellow Down Easy (Dedicated to Pat Larter), Legge Gallery, Sydney 1996 5Th Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 1996 Richard Larter and Pat Larter Super Scans, Watters Gallery, Sydney 1996 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia 1995 Ironsides, Powerhouse Museum, for Armidale Regional Gallery 1995 Summer Exhibition, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1994 Fourth Australian Contemporary Art Fair 2002, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne 1994 Artists Don't Believe in Sanity Clause, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1993 After the Field..., Utopia Gallery, Sydney After the Field..., Manly Art Gallery, Sydney 1993 Pat Larter's Rhythms & Peter Maloney's Blues, Rom Gallery, Sydney Tempest, Legge Gallery, Sydney 1992 Abstract: The Non-objective, MOCA, Brisbane 1992 Thisness, Legge Gallery, Sydney

Publications

Selected bibliography

ACT 1: The Arts Council of Australia, catalogue and publication, November 1978 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, catalogue 1996 Australian World Theatre Exchange: The Theatre Board of Australia Council, Binns, Vivienne: Art & Australia, obituary 1996 Foster, Ernest : A Public of Individuals, Vol.1 No.2 Sept/Oct 2002 Gellatly, Kelly: Stripperama, catalogue to exhibition, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne Hart, Deborah : artonview, Issue 54, Winter 2008 Hart, Deborah : Richard Larter: A Retrospective, National Gallery of Australia publication, 2008 Heary, Monica: Liverpool Leader, 'Arts or tarts', 22/8/2007 Heary, Monica: Liverpool Leader, 'Frankly, it's a studnasium', 28/8/2007 Hynes, Victoria: The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Metro Arts', 5/7/2002 James, Bruce: Sydney Morning Herald, 'The Picture's in the Mail' mailart review AGNSW archives, 7/8/99 James, Bruce: Richard Larter: A Retrospective, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Liverpool Leader, 'Larter-day eccentrics live in art', 8/8/2007 Liverpool City Champion, 'Larter Family Valuest', 1/8/2007 Lobley, Katrina: The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Larter Family Values, 9/8/2007 McDonald, John: The Sydney Morning Herald, Obituary, 17/10/1996 McKenzie, Robyn: The Age, 'A colourful, well-stocked Larter Mendelssohn, Joanna: The Australian, 4/8/1995 Mendelssohn, Joanna: The Australian, 'Joy through Liberated Art' 18/10/1996 Mendelssohn, Joanna: Art & Australia, 'Exposing Pat Larter' Vol. 42 No.3 2005 Mendelssohn, Joanna: Larter Family Values, exhibition catalogue, Liverpool City Gallery, 2006 Mendelssohn, Joanna: Liverpool Leader, 'opiniont' 12/9/2007 'Muse and partner unveiled': Daily Telegraph, 18/8/2007 Tarasov, Anne : Liverpool City Champion, 'Larters launch their Art' 8/82007 Tarasov, Anne : Liverpool City Champion, 'Beholder beware' 22/82007 Tsoutas, Nicholas: Larter Family Values, exhibition catalogue forward 2006

Collections

National Gallery of Australia Art Gallery of South Australia Art Gallery of New South Wales Art Gallery of Western Australia Allen Arthur Robinson National Gallery of Victoria