As one of the most influential Australian artists of the early twentieth century, Margaret Preston transformed the visual language of the nation through a practice that was both technically innovative and visually unforgettable. Her still lifes, particularly her iconic depictions of Australian native flowers, are extraordinary for their bold compositions and sophisticated use of colour. Banksias, waratahs and gum blossoms become powerful design elements in her hands: rhythmic, graphic and unmistakably modern.
Working across painting, printmaking and decorative arts, Preston continually experimented with materials and technique, forging a distinctive aesthetic that drew from international modernism while seeking to define a uniquely Australian visual identity.
This landmark publication brings together key works and new scholarship in an in-depth survey of Preston's career. It sheds new light on her artistic networks, her complex relationship with First Nations visual culture, and her enduring influence on Australian art and design.
With contributions from leading writers and curators, including Jennifer Higgie, Geoffrey Batchen and Lisa Slade, this book reveals an artist of remarkable vision: one who reimagined the world around her through a distinctly Australian lens, and whose work continues to shape how we see beauty, colour and culture today.

Details

ISBN13: 9781760766153
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 304
Edition:
Publication Date: 01 Sep 2026
Publisher: Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd
Publication City, Country: Fisherman's Bend, Australia
Dimensions (cm): 30.1(H)x23.5(L)x3.2(W)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Beckett Rozentals is Senior Curator of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Victoria. Rozentals completed her Master of Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne in 2009 and commenced working at the NGV the same year. Rozentals has worked as curator on numerous exhibitions for the NGV, including Robert Jacks: Order and Variation (2014), Hard Edge: Abstract Sculpture (2016), The Field Revisited (2018), Found and Gathered: Rosalie Gascoigne | Lorraine Connelly-Northey (2021), WHO ARE YOU: Australian Portraiture (2022), Melbourne Now (2023), Grace Crowley | Ralph Balson (2024) and Margaret Preston (2026).

Michael Gentle is a former Curator of First Nations and Australian Art at the National Gallery of Victoria. He is a Noongar man with Ancestral connections to Minang Country and English convicts. His research and curation explore national identities, constructions of the environment and the 'Indigenization' of the nation state. In 2025, Michael was awarded the Australia-at-Large Rhodes Scholarship for Oxford University, where he is now continuing his research in Australian and First Nations art.

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