Members Talk: Clarice Beckett and Australian Modernism

Fri, 6th Nov 2026 12:00 pm - 01:00 pm

National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3006

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Clarice Beckett is now considered one of the leading artists of Australian modernism, though she received little recognition during her lifetime. A pupil of tonalist Max Meldrum, Beckett emerged onto the 1920s Melbourne art scene with a distinctive style of painting characterised by flat brushwork that resulted in a dreamlike quality to her work. She is most well known for her misty depictions of seemingly everyday scenes such as telegraph poles, trams, car lights at dusk, as well as landscapes that captured her reverence for both the natural world and the simple pleasures of suburbia. In a special presentation for NGV Members, Beckett Rozentals, Senior Curator of Australian Art, considers the artist’s indelible contributions to Australian Modernism, celebrating the recent acquisition of Evening, Church St Bridge, c. 1930, to join the NGV Collection, an exquisite example of the artist’s restricted palette and personal style. About the speaker Beckett Rozentals is Senior Curator of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). She completed her Master of Art Curatorship at The University of Melbourne in 2009 and commenced working at the NGV the same year. Beckett has curated numerous major exhibitions including The Field Revisited (2018), Found and Gathered: Rosalie Gascoigne | Lorraine Connelly-Northey (2021), Grace Crowley & Ralph Balson (2024) and is currently co-curating Margaret Preston, opening at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia in September 2026. This program is part of a series of talks developed just for NGV Members. Learn about other upcoming Members Talks If you are not already an NGV Member, you can purchase NGV Membership to access a dynamic range of experiences and Member-only benefits. Purchase NGV Membership Location: NGV International, Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, Ground Level Booking required: $25 Member / $30 Non-Member (Adult) + $5.50 Booking Fee