HELENE GROVE
South Africa | 1946–2020
Hélène Grove was a South African-born Australian painter whose distinctive practice encompassed portraiture, landscape and still life. Based for many years in Queensland, she developed a highly individual style that moved freely between realism and abstraction.
Originally trained in medicine, Grove practised as a psychiatrist for many years before making a dramatic change of direction in 1988 to pursue painting full-time. Although without formal art-school training, she went on to achieve considerable recognition in Australian contemporary art and became a finalist in many of the country's major art prizes.
Grove's work was characterised by a restrained, contemplative approach in which every element of a composition appeared carefully considered. Portraits, landscapes and still lifes recur throughout her work, often combining recognisable subjects with simplified forms and areas approaching abstraction. She described enjoying the challenge of moving between abstraction and realism, never knowing where a painting might ultimately lead.
Her achievements included winning the Tattersall's Club Landscape Art Prize in 2004 with Queensland Country. She was also recognised through major national competitions, with work associated with the Wynne Prize, Dobell Drawing Prize, Archibald Prize and Salon des Refusés.
In 2013 Grove received one of the most significant honours of her career when she won the Portia Geach Memorial Award for Self Portrait: Getting On. The acrylic-on-linen self-portrait was selected from 58 finalists for the prestigious award for Australian women portraitists.
Grove exhibited in Australia and internationally, including in England, South Africa and Norfolk Island, and her work entered numerous public and private collections in Australia and overseas.
