Felicity St John Moore (1933 – 2025)
Felicity St John Moore devoted her career to educating the public about how to look at, understand and appreciate the Australian visual arts. After ten years as the Federal Director of the Arts Council of Australia, Felicity flourished as the Assistant Curator of Education and Principal lecturer of Public Programs at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, when the gallery first opened to the public in 1982, under the leadership of her mentor, James Mollison. Her lectures were always the product of intense research, original thinking and delivered with great energy, humour and intellectual challenge. Her reputation as an outstanding educator eventually led to her appointment as Head of Education at Christie’s, Australia, and to exclusive invitations from across the globe to speak about Australian art at institutions including the National Gallery London and National Gallery in Washington, and even exotic destinations such as Noumea where she remarkably delivered her lecture in French!
With Joseph Brown at Vassilieff Opening.jpg
In 1990, the National Gallery of Victoria appointed Felicity as the Guest Curator of Special Exhibitions where she not only contributed to many travelling exhibitions including The Angry Penguins and Realist Painting in Melbourne in the 1940s (1988 – 1990), but was the sole curator of three major exhibitions, each accompanied by a substantial catalogue which she authored: Classical Modernism (1992); Charles Blackman: Schoolgirls and Angels (1993); and Sam Fullbrook (1995).
Later collaborative exhibitions included Charles Blackman: Alice in Wonderland at the National Gallery of Victoria (2006); Danila Vassilieff: A New Art History at Heide Museum of Modern Art (2012) and Vassilieff: Journey to Mildura at the Mildura Arts Centre (2013). Notably, Felicity also dedicated more than forty years of research to restoring Danila Vassilieff to his rightful place in Australian art history – culminating in her authoritative text on the artist, Vassilieff and his Art (Oxford University Press, 1982) and a second, expanded edition (Macmillan Art Publishing, 2012).
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Felicity’s art collection displayed in her home
(Image: Courtesy of Abercromby’s)
Indeed, as an author, Felicity ‘s contribution to the academic study and interpretation of Australian art was extensive. She wrote numerous articles and essays for a range of journals and organisations throughout her career, and alongside her seminal publications on Vassilieff and claim that Sidney Nolan’s iconic Ned Kelly’s series was directly inspired by the émigré artist, she notably secured a place as an Honorary Fellow of Fine Arts at the University of Melbourne.
Felicity’s expert opinion and keen connoisseurship skills were also widely sought-after from the business community, and she curated the art collections of the National Australia Bank; the ANZ Bank; and Western Mining Corporation. Likewise, major fine art auction houses would routinely defer to Felicity’s expertise (particularly in matters of authenticity), and various private collectors similarly sought Felicity’s advice about their collections and potential acquisitions.
with James Mollison, Sir Zelman Cowan and Charles Blackman at NGA opening.jpg
Encapsulating a lifetime’s experience of looking at and contemplating Australian art, the 33 works on offer here derive from Felicity’s personal collection. Imbued with fond memories and reflecting her unique connections with the artists represented, many of the works were notably purchased directly from the artists’ studios and thus, bear impeccable provenance. As a family, we are sad to part with this wonderful collection but sincerely wish the new owners the same happiness and reward that Felicity enjoyed from viewing such artworks in her home every day.
RICHARD, TIM AND LISA MOORE