The Hinders: doyens of Australian modernism

‘A husband who would rather have his wife carve than cook is good fortune, indeed’, noted the ‘subversive’ line in a 1939 Sydney Morning Herald story on young ‘sculpturess’ Margel Hinder.

Frank and Margel Hinder met in America at the end of the Roaring Twenties. Young art students embracing the innovations of modernism, they fell in love and got married, with Frank bringing American Margel back home to Australia. Proponents of the philosophies inherent in abstraction, their careers as artists grew – exhibiting, winning prizes and commissions, and contributing to a strong, dynamic cohort of likeminded artists.  The Hinders were married for 62 years; their enduring relationship spanned decades through supported individualism and collaboration, and while they were committed to their creative practices, they also taught the next generations of Australia’s artists. In these two intimate studies, Frank hints at their respective creative tenets: his own background in draughtsmanship and interest in objective order, and Margel’s focus on movement through simplicity of line and form.