Women Artists early 20th Century Australia
Alma Figuerola - an introduction
This is a research page that will be updated as information comes to hand
This post has relied on several published books and other sources. We appreciate any corrections and any updates.
last updated 9th November 2024.
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| Alma Figuerola, Woman Reading on Grass, sold at Gibson's Auction in October 2024 |
Alma Figuerola:
Born 1902 – Died 8 December 1970, Kew Melbourne
Full name: Alma Agnes Marion Figuerola
Active as a painter 1920 – 1960
Formal
Training 1917–1920 Max Meldrum School of Painting, Melbourne
Parents:
Father (Parisan Hairdresser), Juan Pedro Narciso Figuerola (1869-1919) and Mother, Alice Lucinda Walker Hanson (1880-1969).
Two sisters: Carmen Irene (1906-1993)
and Sylvia (also Silvia) Lyla Alice (1911-1992) |
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photo: Kew Arts Festival 1944-51
Image from Victorian Collections website |
Full biography on DAAO (Design and Art Australia Online) - click here
A selection of Alma Figuerola's paintings sold at auction – click here
Victorian Collections has 48 photos relating to Alma Figuerola: here are the search result for Alma Figuerola
if that no longer works do a search for alma figuerola on Victoria Collections
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Alma Figuerola, Woman Reading on Bench, sold at Gibson's Auction in October 2024 |
from Victoria Collections website with small edits:
The first art lessons Alma Figuerola received were with Oscar Binder. Later she attended the art school established by the Melbourne 'tonalist' [Duncan] Max Meldrum (1875-1955). She graduated from his school in 1920, participating in her first group exhibition in the same year.
Solo exhibitions of her work were to be held in 1933 at the Meldrum Gallery in Elizabeth Street; at Athenaeum Gallery at 188 Collins Street in 1937 and 1945; and at Georges Gallery in Collins Street in 1951.
Throughout her extensive career she participated in group exhibitions usually with artists of the Meldrum School and as a member of the Twenty Melbourne Painters to which she was invited to become an associate in 1935.
In 1953 her portrait of Professor ES Hills was entered in the Archibald Prize Competition of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
From the 1930s she was a resident of 51 Studley Park Road Kew often with her mother, her sister Carmen or both.
From around 1942 she lived at 'D’Estaville', 7 Barry Street Kew till her death in 1970.
From the late 1930s she is recorded as actively contributing to the arts at a local level. In 1939 and 1940 she participated in art exhibitions at the Hawthorn Municipal Library organised by Jessie Carbines.
From 1944 to 1951 she co-organised successive Kew Arts Festivals initially in the Presbyterian Church Hall in Highbury Grove and later at the Recreation Hall in Wellington Street.
A foundation member of the Kew Historical Society in 1958, Alma Figuerola remained an active member of the Society until her death on 8 December 1970 (aged 68. Her mother died one year earlier in 1969, aged 89)
Her two sisters Sylvia (died 1992) and Carmen (died 1993) are buried at Andersons' Creek Cemetery in Warrandyte.
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Alma Figuerola, Still Life with Statue, sold at Gibson's Auction in October 2024 |
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| Alma Figuerola, Still Life with Pink Bowl, National Gallery of Victoria - Andrée Harkness collection |
Here's the Wikipedia link for D'Estaville
Here's the link for The Twenty Melbourne Painters Soc Inc
Australian Dictionary of Biography on Max Meldrum
Birth date errors: Many sources have Alma's birth date as 1890 or 1895. She is listed on Ancestry with a birth date of 1902.
Her mother's birth date is often given as 1889. On Ancestry it is 1880.
The copyright for Alma Figuerola would still be with her relatives/ her estate.
We cannot supply images nor give permission for their use.
The images produced here have been uploaded for research and education reasons.
We are keen to let people know about Australian early 20th century woman artists, such as Alma Figuerola
The research continues...