Lot 48

Eastgate Galleries, Melbourne
Private collection, Melbourne

Mabel Williams' long and multifaceted career reflected a deep engagement with both modernist practice and the artistic community around her. Born in Adelaide, she studied at the South Australian School of Art and first gained recognition through her contributions to the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, exhibiting from 1916 to 1918.

By the late 1940s, Williams had moved to Melbourne and become a student of George Bell, with whom she studied with from 1948 to 1954. As Allan McCulloch observed, "the qualities that give her work identity are lightness and soft colour, combined with firm cubist structure, all carefully considered elements in the pattern of George Bell's teaching and philosophy."

Williams exhibited regularly with the Melbourne Contemporary Artists, serving as its president from 1959 until its dissolution in 1965. She was a passionate advocate for artists, playing a key role in establishing the Argus Gallery in Melbourne and chairing the Red Cross Picture Library sub-committee for six years. Her leadership and advocacy positioned her as a significant figure within Melbourne's mid-century art circles.
After her death, in a 1981 memorial exhibition catalogue, McCulloch described her as "a woman who loved art and artists, and was herself a painter of great sensitivity."

Hannah Ryan
Senior Art Specialist