Roger Butler and Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax on Margaret Preston

Hear Dr Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax, Curator, Prints and Drawings, and Roger Butler AM, speak about Margaret Preston as part of Know My Name: Making it Modern.

Artist Margaret Preston was instrumental in leading a renewed interest in printmaking with her exhibitions and writings heralding the revival of the woodblock technique. Her bold colours and energetic designs represented a new approach to Modernism in Australia during the 1920s and 1930s. From the 1940s, Preston experimented with painterly stencilled prints and monotypes and advocated for the creation of a distinctive Australian national art. Her influence both as a teacher and artist has become widely recognised.

Roger Butler has written widely on Australian printmaking. He is a former Senior Curator of Australian Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery. Major exhibitions and publications include The Prints of Margaret Preston (1987 revised 2005) and a three-volume history of printmaking in Australia.

Art Talks are a free weekly program. Hear from artists, curators and experts on the works in our collection and exhibition program.