Ruth Sutherland

Ruth Sutherland (1884–1948), was an Australian painter and art critic. She was a founding member of the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society.^[1]

Sutherland was born in Adelaide in 1884.^[2] She was granddaughter to notable sketcher George Sutherland, who emigrated to Australia from Scotland.^[3] She was a pupil of Gwen Barringer in South Australia before coming to Melbourne.^[4] She attended the National Gallery of Victoria Art School where she was taught by Lindsay Bernard Hall.^[5]

Sutherland wrote articles for the Melbourne newspaper 'The Age' and to the journal 'Art in Australia'^[5] about Max Meldrum^[6] and Hilda Rix Nicholas.^[7]

Sutherland was the niece of the painter Jane Sutherland and the sister of the composer Margaret Sutherland.^[8] She was also a cousin of Stella Bowen's.^[9] She was a member of the Twenty Melbourne Painters.^[1] She had a joint exhibition of oils, watercolours and pastels with fellow artists Dora Wilson and May Roxburgh in 1918.^[10] Sutherland had a history with Dora Wilson prior to later established artist societies, exhibiting as part of "The Waddy" in 1909, along with Janet Cumbrae Stewart and Nora Gurdon.^[11] She enjoyed doing landscapes, renting a cottage in Lilydale with Bernice Edwell and Florence Rodway to sketch the surrounding country.^[12] She also exhibited with the Yarra Sculptors' Society.^[13]

She died in 1948.^[2] A memorial exhibition of her work referred to her as "a quiet artist in a mode of painting now largely abandoned" and that her works were most sympathetic.^[14]

• Watercolour paintings by Ruth Sutherland
• 
  Still life, Private collection
• 
  Homestead, Private collection
• 
  The Ruin & Trees, Private collection
• 
  Girl in a hammock, National Gallery of Victoria

• 1909, "The Waddy" society of artists, Guild Hall^[11]
• 1909, Federal Art Exhibition, North terrace^[15]
• 1911, Yarra Sculptors Society, Athenaeum Hall^[16]
• 1912, "The Waddy" society (with Dora Taylor and Janet Cumbrae Stewart), Tuckett and Styles' Gallery^[17]
• 1912, Group exhibition (with Dora Wilson and Nora Gurdon), Tuckett and Styles' Gallery^[18]
• 1912 Victorian Artists Society autumn exhibition, Albert Street galleries^[19]
• 1913, Group exhibition, Athenaeum Hall^[20]
• 1914, Australian Art Association, Athenaeum Hall^[21]
• 1914, British History Tableaux (in aid of Red Cross), Victorian Artists Society^[22]
• 1914, Twelve Melbourne Painters Society second exhibition, Athenaeum Hall^[23]
• 1915, Victorian Artists Society twentieth annual exhibition^[24]
• 1916, Victorian Artists Society annual exhibition^[25]
• 1916, French Week appeal exhibition, Town Hall^[26]
• 1917, Australian Art Association fifth annual exhibition^[27]
• 1918, Group exhibition (with Dora Wilson and May Roxburgh), Fine Art Society
• 1919, French aid exhibition, Fine Art Galleries^[28]
• 1919, Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, Athenaeum Gallery^[29]
• 1919, Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors annual exhibition, Victoria Markets^[30]
• 1920, Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, Athenaeum Hall^[31]
• 1940, Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors annual exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery^[32]
• 1941, Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors annual exhibition, Athenaeum Gallery^[33]
• 1950, Memorial exhibition for Ruth Sutherland, Melbourne Book Club Gallery^[14]

• images of Ruth Sutherland's paintings on MutualArt
• Biographical cuttings on Ruth Sutherland, National Library of Australia
• Ruth Sutherland: Australian art and artists file, State Library Victoria