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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.

Margaret Dodd

2002
Greg Weight

gelatin silver photograph on paper (image: 45.4 cm x 30.7 cm, sheet: 50.4 cm x 40.4 cm)

Margaret Dodd (b. 1941), sculptor, graduated from the University of California in 1968, having taken classes with Robert Arneson, a proponent of quirky and satirical ceramic sculptures that came to be known as 'Funk art'. Dodd exhibited in California, Sydney and Brisbane in the early 1970s and became a key figure in a loose movement of Adelaide ceramicists producing 'Skangaroovian funk'. Over that decade, she made a series of small sculptures of cars, notably Holdens, with personifying elements such as lipstick surfboards and bridal veils, which explored notions of national and gender identity. At the time, Dodd described the Holden, Australian-manufactured but American-owned, as the 'Trojan horse of American imperialism'. The National Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of South Australia all have examples of her many ceramic vehicles, as do various institutions in the US and Canada. In 2008 Dodd held her first solo exhibition in fifteen years, collaborating with three other artists to revisit and reinvigorate themes from her past work, especially the Holdens, her 'own' art car.

Greg Weight photographed Dodd with her cement sculpture The Fossil, which she built over a period of eighteen months in the grounds of the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, South Australia.

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.

Artist and subject

Greg Weight (age 56 in 2002)

Margaret Dodd (age 61 in 2002)

Donated by

Patrick Corrigan AM (130 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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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