Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection

8 May – 19 July 2026

Clarice Beckett,Evening landscape, c 1925, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1974

Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection presents an intimate, rarely seen group of works by one of the most original artists of early twentieth century Australia.

Deeply sensitive to the effects of colour, light and atmosphere, Beckett painted the life and scenery of her coastal home in south-east Naarm/Melbourne with an eye for the commonplace and fleeting effects of nature. Her work captures a world on the cusp of modernisation, evoking both the natural environment and simple pleasures of suburbia.

In 1972, the artist’s sister Hilda Mangan donated a group of Beckett’s works to the National Gallery. It is this collection that will be on view for the first time, their freshness and vitality recently restored by extensive conservation treatment.

Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection is a National Gallery Touring Exhibition supported by The Australian Government through Visions of Australia.

Curators:
Elspeth Pitt, Senior Curator, Australian Art
Deirdre Cannon, Assistant Curator, Australian Art

Exhibition Opening:
Friday 8 May 5.30pm – 8.00pm 

Clarice Beckett: Works from the National Collection is a National Gallery Touring Exhibition

Clarice Beckett, Bay Road, 1930, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1971