Dorothy Elizabeth Robertson (née Rogers, died 1979) was a New Zealand artist.

Background

Born Dorothy Rogers near

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

, in Kent, England, into a family of six children. Her father was a captain in the British Navy and as a result, the family moved around the British Isles. Between the ages of 14 and 19 years Dorothy drew advertisements for products such as

Beecham's Pills Beecham's Pills were a laxative first marketed about 1842 in Wigan, Lancashire. They were invented by Thomas Beecham (1820–1907), grandfather of the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879–1961). The British pharmaceutical firm, established in 18 ...

which were published in the Daily Mail. After leaving school Dorothy qualified as a nurse and met her future husband, Dr Malcolm Robertson from

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand, while working in a hospital. After marrying, Dorothy and her husband returned to New Zealand, where he practiced as an ear, nose and throat surgeon until retiring 30 years later. They had three sons who all became doctors. When the two eldest sons left home to study in England, Dorothy returned to concentrate on her painting. She worked from studios in her home in Christchurch and

Tākaka Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay / Mohua, Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. State Highway 60 (New Zealand), State Highway 60 r ...

Golden Bay Golden Bay may refer to: * Golden Bay / Mohua Golden Bay / Mohua is a large shallow bay in New Zealand's Tasman District, near the northern tip of the South Island. An arm of the Tasman Sea, the bay lies northwest of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aore ...

Career

Dorothy's first artwork was accepted in 1951 by the Societe des Artistes Francais, at the

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

, Champ-Elysees, Paris. In 1960 Dorothy received a Mention Honourable (award of merit) from the salon. In March 1969, an issue of the French art magazine ''La Revue Moderne'' featured one of Dorothy's paintings, 'Crayfishing, Kaikoura', on its cover, and a page inside was devoted to her work. Dorothy exhibited 32 paintings at the Societe des artistes Francais over 25 years. After noting her many successes between 1951 and 1974, the director of a famous private art gallery, Galerie Vallombreuse in Biarritz, decided to hold an exhibition of the New Zealander's art. Despite her success overseas, Dorothy's work was rejected by the

Canterbury Society of Arts Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA, formerly the Canterbury Society of Arts) is a curated art gallery in the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. The gallery is governed by the Canterbury Society of Arts Charitable Trust. History The Canterbu ...

in her home town of Christchurch, New Zealand. Her work was hung in the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in London, the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy ...

, the Society of Women Artists Exhibition in London and many other British galleries. Robertson also exhibited with: * Auckland Society of Arts *

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the As ...

Background

Career

References

Further reading