Davida Allen

Davida Frances Allen (born 20 October 1951 in Charleville, Queensland^[1]), is an Australian painter, film maker and writer.

Career

Allen studied under Betty Churcher at the Stuartholme School, Brisbane (1965–69) and later under Roy Churcher (Betty Churcher's husband) at Brisbane Central Technical College. She won the Archibald Prize in 1986 for her portrait of her father-in-law Dr John Shera (My father-in-law watering his garden). Allen has written and illustrated two books,^[2][3] and has created a 50 minute film, Feeling Sexy (1999), on the struggles of an artist attempting to reconcile the conflicting demands of bohemia and suburbia. At the 1999 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, she was nominated for the award for "Best Direction" for that film and she won the "Best Original Screenplay" award.^[4] The film was also invited to the Venice Film Festival.

She frequently confronts the themes of family and sexuality; regarding the latter she has said: "if we are truly feminist in the fullest sense of the word, we shouldn't have felt we had to lock it away or be really careful about it. We should be chauvinist in our womanhood."^[5] Allen is represented in most major public collections in Australia.

Exhibitions

Australian exhibitions

• Ray Hughes Gallery, Brisbane, in 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1986.
• Australian Galleries, Sydney, in 1993, 1996, 2001
• Philp Bacon Galleries, Brisbane, in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2008

International exhibitions

• D'un autre continent: l'Australie le rêve er le réel, curated by Suzanne Page/Leon Paroissien, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Shown internationally in Vienna, Texas and Venice.
• An international survey of recent painting and sculpture, curated by Kynaston McShone, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
• Davida Allen, curated by Anne Kirker, National Art Gallery of New Zealand. Touring to four other New Zealand museums.
• Painters and sculptors, curated by Michael Sourgnes, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. Travelling to Museum of Contemporary Art, Saitama, Japan.
• ROSC, ann International Exhibition, Dublin, Ireland

See also

• Art of Australia

References

1. ^ "Davida ALLEN". National Gallery of Australia. http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/catalogues/artist/7327/davida-allen.aspx. Retrieved 23 June 2008. 
2. ^ What Is a Portrait — Images of Vicki Myers, ISBN 9781875505029
3. ^ The Autobiography of Vicki Myers — Close to the Bone, ISBN 9780731802074
4. ^ "Awards for Davida Allen". Internet Movie Database. 1999. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0020435/awards. Retrieved 1 July 2008. 
5. ^ Davida Allen at Art Galleries Schubert

External links

• Works by Davida Allen
• Davida Allen's film Feeling Sexy
• Feeling Sexy at the Internet Movie Database
• Davida Allen at Australian Art

Awards
Preceded by Guy Warren	Archibald Prize 1986 for Dr. John Arthur McKelvey Shera	Succeeded by William Robinson

Persondata
Name	Allen, Davida
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	20 October 1951
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death

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