Alannah Coleman was an Australian painter, gallery director and dealer in Australian art who drew valuable attention to the work of expatriates to England in the 1950s–1970s, and increased awareness of Australian art and artists in Europe.
Coleman studied at the National Gallery of Victoria schools in Melbourne from 1933 to 1939. During this time, she formed connections with other notable Australian artists such as Albert Tucker, Sidney Nolan and Joy Hester. She was also among the founders of the Contemporary Art Society, and exhibit with the Victorian Artists’ Society.
The war years and immediate post-war period were Coleman’s most productive time as a painter. Her portraits, still-lifes, and landscapes, received positive reviews from critics, particularly George Bell.
In 1950, Coleman moved to Europe, where she would spend nearly two decades. She established herself as an art dealer in London, opening the Alannah Coleman Gallery in Putney in 1959. Here, she promoted expatriate Australian artists and played a crucial role in increasing awareness of Australian art in Europe. Coleman was instrumental in organizing significant exhibitions, including “Australian Painting and Sculpture in Europe Today” at the New Metropole Arts Centre in Folkestone, which was lauded by Sir Kenneth Clark.
Coleman’s influence through her appointment as commissioner general to the Paris Biennale for Young Painters in 1963 and directorships at Heal’s Gallery and the Ewan Phillips gallery in London contributed to the growing international recognition and market value of Australian art.
In 1970, Coleman briefly returned to Australia to manage the Bonython Gallery in Sydney. During her tenure, she curated important exhibitions, including a large survey of Australian modernists titled “Australian Irresistibles 1930-1970.”
After returning to the UK, Coleman continued to organize shows for various galleries, including the Qantas gallery and the New South Wales House gallery in London. She also wrote articles on contemporary art and artists for publications in London and Australia. Her contributions to the field were recognised in her invited membership of the International Association of Art Critics.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
James McArdle
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2024
