Fred Leist

Frederick William Leist (21 August 1878 – 20 March 1945) was an Australian artist and a member of several well known art societies including the Royal Art Society and the NSW Society of Artists.

Leist studied at the Sydney Art School studying under Julian Ashton and beginning work in 1908 as a black-and-white artist for "The Bulletin" and "Sydney Mail" newspapers, eventually moving onto the "Graphic" magazine in London.

During the First World War, Leist was one of ten artists resident in England appointed as an official war artist to serve with the Australian Imperial Force in France. He completed numerous paintings during the war and after his war service contributed two large murals for the Australian Exhibition at the British Empire Exhibition held at Wembley in 1924. As a result of these works Leist popularity increased and he gained several commissions from the United States and toured the south west of America.

Returning to Australia in 1926, Leist took up a position as the Head of Painting at the East Sydney Technical College. Leist died at Mosman, Sydney in 1945. He was survived by his wife Ada.

Leist is represented in the Art Gallery of New South Wales with ten works as well a representations in several private collections. Many of his paintings as a war artist are in the collection of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

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