Lindsay Bernard Hall was born in Liverpool in 1859. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art, School of Design (1874-78), and at the academies of Antwerp and Munich. Hall returned to London in 1882 where he worked as an illustrator for The Graphic and The Illustrated London News. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1883 and was a founding member of the New English Art Club (1886). In 1891 Bernard Hall was appointed Director of the National Gallery of Victoria and master of the Schools of Painting and Drawing. He arrived in Australia in 1892 to fulfil these roles and remained in the positions for forty-three years. During this period, Hall made a major contribution to the formation of the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria and the teachings in its schools. Hall was appointed as the first purchaser for the Felton Bequest in 1905 and travelled abroad in this capacity. He developed a reputation as a discerning buyer and played a key role in the purchase of many of the Gallery’s most significant works. He is also credited with commencing the first catalogue of the collections and developing the Asian art collection. In his own practice, Hall’s preferred subjects were nudes, still lifes and interiors. Hall was a member of the Victorian Artists’ Society and regular exhibitor at the Society from 1893. He also held one-man exhibitions at the Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne. Bernard Hall died in England in 1935.
Lisa Sullivan, Curator
Provided Courtesy of the Ian Potter Museum of Art, The University of Melbourne
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2012
