Josephine Muntz Adams’ Care has captivated audiences for over a century, but what inspired this masterpiece of quiet sorrow? The answer lies in loss, letters and family connections.
It holds a special place in the history of Australian art. It has the distinction of two firsts: it was Josephine’s first painting to be purchased by an Australian gallery and the first by an Australian artist to be acquired for the Queensland Art Gallery’s collection in 1898.
Care was painted during Josephine’s years as a student in Europe and was shown at the prestigious Paris Salon in 1893, where it had the honour of being hung ‘on the line’ – a position reserved for the most outstanding works, placed at eye level for maximum visibility.
It was shown as part of Josephine’s retrospective exhibition at the Athenaeum Gallery in 1943.
Read more in ‘Sketches to Care: the making of a masterpiece‘.
Image courtesy of the Queensland Art Gallery.
