Mary Tonkin is an Australian artist, who in 2002 won the Dobell Prize, the highest prize for drawing in Australia. She was awarded her prize for her work ''Rocky Outcrop, Werribee Gorge 2000''.
Tonkin was born in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in 1973. In 1992, she was accepted to study at the Faculty of Art and Design at
Monash University
Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...
. She went on to obtain a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
(Fine Arts) with honours and a Masters in Fine Arts.
From 1996 to 2004, she was a lecturer at
Monash University
Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...
.Student Profiles /ref>
Major recent exhibitions of Tonkin's works include ''Near the top dam'' (2007), a retrospective exhibition ''Home 2000-2010'' (2011–2) at the Burrinja Gallery in Upwey, Victoria, and at the Sydney Contemporary in 2022, which included the major, 21-panel work ''Ramble, Kalorama'' (2017–19), which was featured i Art Almanac in 2019.
List of solo exhibitions
Source: Both sides now Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2024
* Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks, Sydney, 2022
* Ramble, Whitehorse Artspace, Melbourne, 2020
Ramble Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2019
Between the dams Australian Galleries, Sydney, 2017
Two spots Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2015
* A short walk, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 2013
* Black paintings, La Trobe Regional Art Gallery, Mrowell, 2012
* Home 2000–2010, Burrinja Gallery, Upwey, 2011
Collections
Source:
*
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...
, Sydney
*
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...
, Melbourne
*
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (MPRG) is a public art gallery on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne, Australia. The gallery opened in 1971, and holds both traditional and contemporary Australian art. The gallery is host t ...
, Mornington
*
Shepparton Art Museum
The Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is an art museum in Shepparton, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Established in 1936 as the Shepparton Art Gallery, the collection lacked a purpose-built gallery until the current $50 million building ope ...
, Shepparton
* Kedumba Collection of Contemporary Australian Drawing, Wentworth Falls
* City of Whitehorse, Melbourne
* ANZ Bank, Melbourne
* Monash University, Melbourne
* Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
* Deakin University, Melbourne
* UNSW Art Collections, Sydney
Awards
Source:
* Holding Redlich People's Choice Award Salon des Refuses,
S. H. Ervin Gallery
The S. H. Ervin Gallery is a major public art institution housed in the historic National Trust Centre in Observatory Park, Sydney.Dobell Drawing Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2002