Helen Maudsley

“(Helen Maudsley’s) paintings are not simply about the objects that they contain, nor do they relate a simple linear narrative or storyline. They invite you to commence a very personal journey through which the viewer will seek to decipher the clues, symbols, formulas and the various fragments of the seen world that have been assembled by the artist. ” Sasha Grishin, ArtLife, 2018

Helen Maudsley utilises visual analogy, graphic imagery and visual grammar to describe interactions between people in a distinct and personal palette, opening up our view of the world with its many juxtapositions. Her poetic titles function as an entry point to her multi-facetted paintings and drawings. Concepts of power, authority and permission are examined, the artist championing exploration, complexity and ambiguity.

Helen Maudsley attended the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne from 1945–1947, and during the 1960s gained a Graduate Diploma in Fine Art from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. Maudsley has had solo exhibitions regularly since 1957, recent public exhibitions include: Our Knowing and Not Knowing, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2017); and When Shoes Leaves Foot, West Space, Melbourne (2015). Her work is held in most public national collections in Australia, as well as in the British Museum, London, UK; and numerous private collections.

Helen Maudsley’s interest in the dialogue between art and the viewer extends to her teaching practice: she has taught at the Centre for Adult Education since 1968, and has been involved with various art appreciation programmes including at: Christie’s Education Programme, University of Western Australia, National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, and Ian Potter Museum, Melbourne University. 

Source: Niagara Galleries, Melbourne