painter, cartoonist and teacher, was born in Surry Hills, Sydney, on 21 August 1873 [sic ?], eighth surviving and fifteenth child of Edward Frederick Leist, builder, and Harriet Eliza, née Norris, both from London. He studied at Crown Street Public School, at Sydney Technical College and at the Art Society of NSW in classes held by Julian Ashton . From the 1890s he was illustrating for the Bulletin , e.g. Weight Will Tell 1898 by Fred Leist 'after A.P.M.’ (presumably a contributor); The man from town. '“Do you think cycling will affect the horse-trade much?”/ Cockie (as lady of quality goes by): “Well, there won’t be many of those hollow-back brutes bred now”’ n.d. (ill. Rolfe, 47).
Leist’s darkly serious An Ominous Start shows a young woman in classical dress labelled’Federated Australia’ hiding her face and weeping as ships depart for the Boer War: 'And so my first national act is to back up a wanton deed of blood and rapine!’ 1899 (ill. Coleman & Tanner, 120). Also in 1899 a Leist drawing of drunks was used to illustrate a verse by 'The Breaker’ (Morant), Too Much Light (ill. Rolfe, 107). I fear no foe depicts Lord Beauchamp, the new young Governor of NSW, wearing armour which has broken Cupid’s shaft, proving he 'has no intention whatever of getting married [despite the line-up of mothers and daughters behind him]’, Bulletin 20 May 1899 (ill. Rolfe, 41).
Leist was an inaugural council member of the Sydney Society of Artists in 1895 and – after the merger (1902-07) – of the Royal Art Society of NSW. Then, with 11 others, he helped re-establish the former as the NSW Society of Artists in 1907. He is best known for his drawings in Lone Hand where he made his reputation as an outstanding draughtsman. He also drew the frontispiece for The Commonwealth annual no.2 (1902-3). He was staff artist on the Sydney Mail before leaving to study in London. In England in 1908 he drew for the Graphic , having been its Sydney representative since 1900 (acc. ADB ). His painting, The Mirror , was hung at the RA in 1911 and the following year he had a painting accepted by the Paris Salon. In 1911-25 he exhibited regularly at the RA and was also included in the Venice Biennale. He was made a member of the Royal Society of British Painters in Oils.
During WWI Leist drew recruiting posters and in September 1917 was appointed an official war artist with the AIF (in France September-December 1917 and June-August 1918). A stylish pastel of a young woman, Aimee (offered Christies Melbourne 1-2 May 2000), is dated 1917. After the war he painted two large murals for the Australian Pavilion at the Wembley exhibition (1924-25) and made an action model of Sydney Harbour. The former led to a 1925-26 commission for murals in the church of St Augustine, Florida, from whence he toured Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. He returned to Australia in 1926 having been appointed head teacher of painting at ESTC. He then exhibited with the NSW Society of Artists, the RAS and the Australian Watercolour Institute. He died at Sydney on 18 February 1945.
Images include Important Zoological Discovery: The real old original Serpent i.e. head of serpent on a woman’s shoe, original Bulletin drawing 1904 (Px*D439/62), paid 5 July 1907, annotated 'Xmas’ with pasted note from Bulletin office verso: 'A great idea if original. The shoe has suggested the serpent to the man who clipped it out; he has added the forked tongue. Please draw it so that it will reproduce well’ (in B/W show SLNSW 1999).
Another amateur suggestion for Leist (ML PXA 2695) was a drawing of two newspaper boys (one smoking) by 'JEFF’ dated 1900: 'SNORKY: Well Stinker [crossed out and replaced with 'Stousher’] What Does Yer Tink of Alfred Dampier In Drink./ Stinker/ Stousher: 'Not Much. E’s Nuthin’ To My Ole Man When E’ Gits Booked. [following deleted] E’ Starts Chuckin’ Saucepans At The Ole Woman, An’ Wants To Break My Bloomin Jaw.’ Annotated 'Mr Leist next week’/ and (in another hand, presumably Leist’s) 'From Bulletin Sept 15/00’. Accompanied by Leist version ML PXA 2695 (on top of page 'E. O’Sullivan 21.7.47’).
Will Dyson included a caricature of Leist in 1907 Society of Artists catalogue, 32, annotated: 'FRED LEIST, born in Australia, has devoted his life and his killing glance to the study of the Australian girl. Leist paints other subjects, but no-one wants to see them while there is the Leist bit of girl to see. It’s the clothed girl – the noblest work of God, man, the triumph of Nature and Art – that Leist delights to paint. It is a subject full of complexities and strange fabrics, but he succeeds.’ Photograph Taylor, 39.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
