Skip to main content
Menu

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.

Rosalie Gascoigne

1993
Greg Weight

gelatin silver photograph on paper (sheet: 50.4 cm x 40.4 cm, image: 45.5 cm x 35.6 cm)

Rosalie Gascoigne (1917–1999), artist, came to Australia from New Zealand in 1943 to marry the astronomer Ben Gascoigne. For some years they lived on Mount Stromlo, where Rosalie absorbed the textures, colours and light of the landscape. With no formal art training, nor capacity to draw, in the 1970s she began making objects and 'assemblages' from natural and man-made materials she had salvaged and hoarded. In 1974 she exhibited at the Macquarie Galleries in Sydney; just four years later she had a survey show at the National Gallery of Victoria. The only visual artist of major stature to engage with the landscape of the Canberra region over a long period, over the ensuing decades she made a series of majestic representations of the surrounding country. In 2008–2009 the NGV mounted a major retrospective, confirming Gascoigne as one of the handful of artists whose work has changed the way Australians see their landscape.

Greg Weight took this photo of 77-year-old Gascoigne in her backyard, with her work made from an old window frame and a corrugated iron curtain. As he noted in his book Australian Artists: 'We carried the artwork into the yard in the late afternoon light and, with only minutes to spare, Rosalie stood behind the Pink Window and balanced the work on a garden chair. Standing on her toes she peeped from behind the curtain.'

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2004. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Gregory Weight/Copyright Agency, 2024

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.
Audio description icon

Audio description


Show transcript

Artist and subject

Greg Weight (age 47 in 1993)

Rosalie Gascoigne (age 76 in 1993)

Subject professions

Visual arts and crafts

Donated by

Patrick Corrigan AM (130 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

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