Watch
out you don't buy a
STOLEN
PAINTING!
from the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne). See below:
Gallery
on +61 03 8620 2222.
It
is still missing November 2005
was the eldest child of Thomas Bingham Muntz (1835 N.Ireland-1908 Melbourne) and his wife Jane Jamieson [born N.Ireland].
Her
paintings are renowned for their bold brushwork and expressionistic
and vibrant colour a progressive style for her era. Public art galleries
and museums rate her paintings highly.
Josephine was born at Barfold near Kyneton, Victoria, first child of Thomas Bingham Muntz, surveyor, and later Mayor of Prahran. They had 10 children altogether and moved to Prahran Melbourne before 1872. Their second child died during a diphtheria epidemic in 1873 aged only 9 years, and their 9th child died 1877 aged only 11 months. |
Beach scene, 333X22 cm oil on canvas |
At
the age of 11 she had travelled from Liverpool on the ship Theophane
to Melbourne as a "Cabin" passenger with no known member of her family.
(Shipping Records Vic PRO)
Probably
she visited her grandparents in Killough- perhaps these paintings are of
Joseph and Margaret Munce? They do resemble the photographs of her grandparents.
Josephine went to the National Gallery School Melbourne 1882 and 1884-1889 . During 1890-96 she lived overseas where she studied at Colossi's, Paris, and at von Herkomer's in England. 1892,
June 10th report from the Sun
In 1896 she returned to Melbourne and in this year painted her best example of adventurous portraiture in the "Gypsy Belle" now in Ballarat Fine Art Gallery,
Newspaper article on back - undated. "xxxxre examples of the work of Josephine Muntz-Adams, which has been seen in several retrospective exhibitions in recent years , will be on view in the Kozminsky Gallery* from tomorrow. "Mrs Muntz-Adams, one of the older school of painters, belongs in spirit to the heyday of the Heidelberg school of Impressionism which produced Streeton, McCubbin and the rest. "Her
work is sensitive and charming and is often marked by that rare sense of
color common to the leaders of the school.
"Mrs Muntz-Adams has a worthy place in the story of art in Australia and it is pleasant to see more of the large collection of pictures which she appears to have accumulated in a long painting life." [*
Kosminsky's is in Melbourne -downtown.]
1899 Wednesday 13 September 1899 Courier Mail says "Mrs Adams ( Miss Muntz ) " won equal first prize by the Queensland Art Society for of portait of Dr Dufresne. Not Josephine Muntz Adams but an American artist -below
David L. Muntz's daughter: only child was Jean
"Florence" Mary Muntz b.1898 WA, died 14 Sept 1946 Sydney
NSW , m 1 [div. abt 1925?] Keith FOENANDER, m2,
a Mr Nicholson, who would have been about 38 years old in 1837
and whom she saw often and travelled with.
|
The same scene, oil on canvas 17x12 cm
By
1907 Josephine was able to obtain commissions for portraits ,which included
the Victorian premier, commanding very high prices for the times.
They lived in Brisbane until Samuel died 1903 there from an accident with a horse carriage. They had no children. Josephine's travels by passenger ship:
Also passengers from Britain to Vic 1911 Jan on "Orontes"
During 1905 -8 , 1912-16 she exhibited with the Victorian Artists Society. Went overseas 1908 . During 1917-22 lived and taught art in Brisbane When she came back to Melbourne she lived in Malvern, and her beach house at Edithvale. Also owned a few properties in Malvern one of which had been her father's. Frequently she used her relatives as subjects in her paintings - eg Portrait of Stella White, $2,090 watercolour, signed and dated, 30.5 x 22 cm. Christies Melbourne 20/04/93, lot 221, Estimate: $700-1,000. More paintings done while visiting Munce relatives in Killough, County Down. The church Killough.
|
Josephine's travels: passengers New Zealand to Vic * on board the " MONAWA" 1904 FEB [VPRO fische 312 pp 001] "MRS MUNTZ-ADAMS" aged 29 [was 42] with Mr T.B MUNTZ aged 54 [he was 69] "Miss MUNTZ [cant say which one for sure a niece?] aged 21 Also passengers from Britain to Vic 1911 JAN on "Orontes" [VPRO 817 p005 & p 007 ] "Mrs Muntz Adams aged 52 with Mr D L Muntz [ her brother David Livingstone Muntz whose daughter was about 13 then] and Miss Muntz aged 31 [any niece] .... Unfortunately her eyesight began to fail her around 1930 but she continued to patin well until her death. When she was 80 years old an exhibition of her work was given "enthusiastic acclaim" by Sir Keith Murdoch when he opened it at the Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne. Josephine
Muntz Adams died 18th November 1949 (Vic.death certificate no 12637) at
St Helen's Private Hospital, Lewisham Road, Windsor, City of Prahran, (now
Stonnington) County of Bourke, Melbourne, of cerebral thrombosis
Then she was buried on 25th November 1949 at Toowong Cemetery Brisbane, Queensland, in the same grave as her husband Samuel Howard Adams (21 March 1903) in Portion 18, Section 80, Allotment 3.She had married in Brisbane at the age of 32 years, according to her death certificate. In her will she meticulously named 32 nieces and nephews and all other relatives she left money to. There were 150 paintings at her house at the time of death which were auctioned by Joels, along with other possessions [I have the itemised list - it includes an EPNS tea set] |
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