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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Portrait of Elizabeth Jolley

2003
Mary Moore

oil on composition board (frame: 152.0 cm x 131.3 cm)

Elizabeth Jolley AO (1923-2007), writer, was born in England, and moved to Western Australia in 1959. She received immediate recognition with the publication of her story collection, Five Acre Virgin, in 1976. Henceforth, her stylistically distinctive examination of women's experience – through novels, radio plays and autobiography – attracted much interest from feminist scholars while also winning her a broad readership. The trilogy My Father's Moon, Cabin Fever and The Georges' Wife (1989–1993) is generally considered the high point of her work. Awarded three honorary doctorates, she won the Age Book of the Year Award twice, and the Miles Franklin Award for The Well (1986).

Mary Moore began formal art training in Perth at the age of fifteen and went on study at the Royal College of Art, London. She won the Portia Geach Memorial Award in 2001. This work, like many of Moore's paintings, is a parallel portrait, with the icons around the frame providing alternative and complementary representations of the sitter. The episodes and symbols of Jolley's life include a hedge of rosemary, windswept wheat fields, a nurse's uniform, Easter lilies, and tame geese. Moore worked from a photograph to paint this portrait, the composition and contents of which were largely decided by Jolley

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned with funds from the Basil Bressler Bequest 2003
© Mary Moore

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Mary Moore (age 46 in 2003)

Elizabeth Jolley AO (age 80 in 2003)

Supported by

Basil P. Bressler (44 portraits supported)

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency