By Tyler Wright
In an exhibition held from Saturday 4 February to Saturday 25 February, an influential artist who left her mark in the Dandenong Ranges community is being honoured by the Sherbrooke Art Society and her husband.
Barbara Beasley Southgate – a founding member of Sherbrooke Art Society – passed away in 2019; leaving a legacy of “outstanding” pastel works.
“She had a beautiful way of capturing Australian light and Australia character, both in her portraits and her figures and landscapes,” Sherbrooke Art Society president Jeffrey Hughes said.
“She’ll be remembered for her art, for sure, and her perception on the world. Barb had very strong spiritual beliefs and a love for everybody and a love for Australia and a love for nature, and that’s what reflects through her work.”
After Barbara’s passing, her husband Dennis was left with a large body of work, which is set to be displayed in the exhibition.
“The main aim of the exhibition is that retrospective look at Barb and celebrating her art and her life, but also an opportunity to fundraise and get these paintings into the hands of collectors and people that will love them,” Hughes said.
“She left a legacy of some of the finest pastels ever done in Australia… she would describe herself as self taught, but she would also say that she’s learnt from others as well.”
“She was hungry for the knowledge to learn to paint and she became better and better over the years.”
Murphy said Barbara lived in a flat at the back of the art society in Belgrave for a period of time before moving to Ballarat, and returning to the Hills later in life to re-ignite her art career.
Barbara was also an Honorary Life Member and past President of the Sherbrooke Art Society.
The Barbara Beasley Southgate retrospective exhibition will be held at the Sherbrooke Art Gallery, located at 62 Monbulk Road in Belgrave.
