Frances Hodgkins

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1869, she was influenced by her lawyer and amateur painter father. After studying at the Dunedin School of Art, she worked as a teacher to save money for study in England.¹

She left New Zealand for Europe in 1901, traveling through France and Italy. In 1903, one of her watercolours became the first work by a New Zealander to be exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.¹

In 1910, she was appointed as the first female instructor at the Académie Colarossi in Paris. Among her students was Emily Carr, who would later become a prominent Canadian artist.¹

During World War I in 1915, she expanded her repertoire from watercolours to oil painting. Her stay in Cornwall marked a significant turning point that brought new developments to her technique.¹

After moving to France in 1919, she was influenced by Matisse and Derain but developed a highly personal style. Her work, emphasizing simplified forms and color relationships, made a strong impact in London.¹

From 1925, she worked as a fabric designer in Manchester. This experience is believed to have contributed to the decorative elements and refined sense of color in her later paintings.¹

In 1929, she joined the Seven and Five Society, working alongside Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. She established herself as a key figure in British Modernism.¹

In the 1930s, she experimented with fusing landscape and still life. She pursued experimental expressions that transcended traditional genres, such as conflating still life with self-portraiture.¹

In 1939, she was invited to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale. However, due to wartime travel restrictions, her work could not be transported, making it a 'phantom' representation.¹

Despite suffering from rheumatism and bronchitis in her later years, she continued painting into her seventies. When she died in 1947, she was regarded as one of Britain's leading modern artists.¹