• Entry type: Person
  • Entry ID: AWE6024

Tuck, Marie Anne

(1866 – 1947)
  • Born 5 September, 1866, Mt Torrens, Adelaide South Australia Australia
  • Died 3 September, 1947, Glen Osmond South Australia Australia
  • Occupation Artist, Photographer

Summary

Marie Anne Tuck is mainly known for her paintings. Tuck was the first Australian woman to win honours at the Paris Salon. She worked as an artist, teacher and at a photography studio, in Western Australia. She exhibited in Paris, Western Australia, Adelaide, South Australia and New South Wales.

Details

Marie Anne Tuck was born on 5 September 1866, at Mount Torrens, Adelaide. She was one of seven children. Her parents were Edward Starkey Tuck, who was a teacher, and Amy Harriet (née Taylor), both of whom were born in England. The children were educated at their father’s school and received what was considered at the time to be a liberal education.

After completing secondary school Tuck studied art at James Ashton’s Norwood Art School, commencing in 1886. She worked at a florist shop during the day and attending classes at night. Tuck became an exhibiting member of the Adelaide Easel Club and began teaching painting classes during the evenings, as she wanted to further her studies in Paris. Moving to Perth in 1896 she taught day and evening classes in painting and drawing at the Perth Art School, which was situated in the Nicholls’ Buildings, Wellington Street. These classes were advertised in The West Australian newspaper. At the same time she continued working as a florist and was known to have worked in a photography studio at 345 St. George’s Terrace, Perth in 1899.

Tuck eventually saved enough money to realise her dream and travelled to Paris in 1906.
Her mentor was the artist Rupert Bunny, for whom she worked in exchange for painting sessions. While living in France she spent summers in Brittany, where she painted village life. Tuck exhibited some of these paintings in exhibitions at the 11th Federal Exhibition of the (Royal) South Australian Society of Arts in 1908, as well as the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français, Paris from 1908-1912. She received an honourable mention for one of her paintings, Toilette de la Mariée, in 1900, at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français.

Tuck returned to Australia after the outbreak of WW1 and settled in South Australia, where she taught art at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts. She also continued her own painting practice. In 1909 she was elected as a member of the Art Society of New South Wales, and exhibited in the 1909 Salons. Tuck also exhibited in Adelaide, and the Broken Hill Art Gallery.

Tuck’s themes encompass French village and rural scenes, cityscapes of old Perth and old Fremantle, views of Margaret River and the Swan River, as well as studies of native flora, in particular wildflowers and fruit.

In 1915, she gifted one of her paintings to the Broken Hill Branch of the Red Cross Society.

Tuck never married. She suffered a stroke in 1940, but continued to paint until her death on 3 September 1947 at Glen Osmond.

Tuck’s paintings are in the collections of the Art Galleries of South Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory, and a retrospective exhibition was held of her work in 1971.

Collections

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Art Gallery of the Australian Northern Territory

Art Gallery of South Australia

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Events

  • 1970 - 1899
  • 1900
  • 1909

    Marie Tuck’s work featured in the Art Society of New South Wales Salon

    Exhibition
  • 1924

    Marie Tuck’s work featured in the Society of Arts Rooms

    Exhibition
  • 2004

    Marie Tuck’s work featured in The Edwardians: Secrets and Desires

    Exhibition

Published resources

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