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Sandra Burt McGrath (b. October 1936) is an American-born Australian art critic, writer, and collector who played a significant role in the Australian art scene from the 1960s in art criticism, promotion of Australian artists, and cultural philanthropy. McGrath’s career spanned four decades, and she built a reputation in both Australian and international art circles.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, McGrath was raised in a privileged environment. She attended Mount Vernon Seminary and College in Washington, D.C., and later Vassar College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1958 which nurtured her early interest writing. After graduation, she traveled extensively in Europe and the Pacific before settling in Australia.

In 1959, Sandra married Michael Anthony “Tony” McGrath, an Australian businessman. The couple settled in Sydney where their five children were born. Her first published article 'Times Square is Pop Art’, in Art and Australia appeared in 1966 and by the late 1960s, she was emerging as a lively commentator on Australian art, worked also at Clune Galleries and organised cultural tours of Melbourne through the Art Gallery of New South Wales, also serving on its council. She began collecting works by leading Australian artists including Jeffrey Smart, John Olsen and Brett Whiteley.

From the 1970s Sandra wrote for publications including The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Art and Australia on contemporary and avant-garde Australian art. In 1973, she was appointed an Australian representative on the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Arthur Boyd in summer 1971-2, visited the McGraths property Bundanon that they owned with art dealer Frank McDonald. The Boyds purchased nearby Riversdale on the Shoalhaven River in 1974 and then bought Bundanon from McDonald and the McGraths in 1979. Sandra’s son James McGrath began his art career as studio assistant to Boyd.

McGrath developed a close association with Brett Whiteley in the 1960s and became one of his key advocates. McGrath’s 1979 book on Brett Whiteley was the first major publication on the artist. While it received mixed reviews for its lack of scholarly rigour, it was praised for its vivid portrayal of Whiteley’s artistic passions. Updated in 1992 following his death an updated edition became embroiled in legal disputes over copyright and privacy.

McGrath also collaborated with John Olsen on The Artist and the Desert (1982), on the influence of Australia’s Centre on artistic expression, and in 1979 published Sydney harbour: paintings from 1794 a compilation of works by 38 historical and contemporary painters

An avid collector of avant-garde art, McGrath’s homes featured works by Jeffrey Smart, Colin Lanceley, John Olsen, Brett Whiteley and others. In 1969, she donated John Olsen’s Entrance to the Seaport of Desire to the Art Gallery of New South Wales a bequest she followed with works Colin Lanceley, George Baldessin, Richard Larter, and John Peart. She actively supported young artists and served on committees for public art projects, including Sydney’s Darling Harbour redevelopment.

In the 1990s, McGrath returned to the United States but maintained ties with Australia’s art world through her daughters’ gallery in Manhattan. In her dual roles as a critic and collector Sandra McGrath helped bridge gaps between artists, galleries, and audiences.

Writers:

James McArdle

Date written:

2025

Last updated:

2025