Edward Officer
Edward Cairns Officer | |
|---|---|
 Edward Cairns Officer, c. 1921 | |
| Born | 19 Sept 1871 Murray Downs, NSW, Australia |
| Died | 7 July 1921 Macedon, Victoria |
| Occupation | Artist |
Edward Cairns Officer (19 September 1871 – 7 July 1921) was an Australian artist and the inaugural president of the Australian Art Association.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Officer was born in 1871 at Murray Downs, New South Wales, near Swan Hill, Victoria.[1][2] He was the third son of Suetonius Henry Officer and his wife Mary Lillias Rigg, a daughter of the Rev. Adam Cairns. His grandfather, Sir Robert Officer,[3] was speaker of the Tasmanian house of assembly for many years. Officer was educated at Toorak College[3] and studied art under Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery of Victoria.[2][4] From there, he went to Paris[3] in 1895[2] and studied at Julien's.
Career
[edit]Officer exhibited at leading exhibitions in Paris and London, including the Paris Salons,[3] and, in 1903, was the winner of the Wynne prize awarded by the national gallery, Sydney.[5] In 1912, his painting, "The Woolshed", was purchased under the Alfred Felton bequest for the national gallery, Melbourne. Unable to enlist to serve in World War I,[2] Officer organised the sale of 95 of his paintings[6] netting £800 for the Red Cross Fund.[7]
At a meeting on 30 August 1912 which founded the Australian Art Association at Melbourne, he was elected its president and held the position for the rest of his life.[1] He was appointed a trustee of the public library, museums and national gallery of Victoria in 1916.
Death
[edit]He died at Macedon, Victoria, on 7 July 1921.[3] He was survived by his wife Grace, the daughter of Sir Thomas Fitzgerald,[3] whom he had married in 1908.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Peers, Juliet. "Officer, Edward Cairns (1871–1921)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e C, A (7 January 1933). "Australian Artists of the Past: E. C. Officer". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. p. 18. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Death of Mr E. C. Officer". The Australasian. Melbourne, Australia. 16 July 1921. p. 29. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "The Work of the Late Edward Officer". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. 2 May 1928. p. 14. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ "Edward Officer". The Worker. Wagga, Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. 21 May 1908. p. 27.
- ^ "A Patriotic Artist: Mr Edward Officer's Painting". The Argus. Melbourne, Australia. 7 April 1916. p. 9.
- ^ "Patriotism in Art: Red Cross Receives 800 from Picture Exhibition". The Herald. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
