One of Australia's most influential artists returns to the spotlight as the National Gallery of Victoria presents the first major retrospective of Margaret Preston's work in more than two decades, offering fresh perspectives on her remarkable artistic legacy.
CommunityThe Legacy of Margaret Preston
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22 September 2026
Spanning more than 200 works, the landmark exhibition traces Preston's seven-decade career through paintings, woodblock prints, sculpture and archival material. From her vibrant floral still lifes to her distinctive Australian landscapes and pioneering printmaking, the exhibition celebrates the artist's enduring influence on Australian modernism while placing her work within a broader contemporary conversation.
Visitors will encounter many of Preston's most celebrated works, including Flannel flowers (1938) and Shoalhaven Gorge, New South Wales (1940–41), alongside significant loans from leading public collections across Australia. Together, they reveal the evolution of an artist whose travels through Europe introduced her to Post-Impressionism, Japanese woodblock printing and the Arts and Crafts movement, influences she would later reinterpret through a distinctly Australian lens.
A highlight of the exhibition is its extensive presentation of Preston's celebrated woodblock prints from the 1920s. Depicting native flowers, Australian birdlife and Sydney's iconic harbour, these works helped establish a uniquely Australian approach to modern printmaking, combining international techniques with local subject matter.
Rather than presenting Preston's work in isolation, the exhibition also explores the complexity of her legacy by placing it in dialogue with contemporary First Nations artists. Nineteen artists feature throughout the exhibition, including newly commissioned works and recent acquisitions that respond to Preston's appropriation of Indigenous visual culture, encouraging audiences to engage with both her artistic achievements and the ongoing conversations they continue to inspire.
Presented at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from now until 31 January 2027, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to revisit one of Australia's defining artistic figures through a contemporary lens. Rich in historical significance while thoughtfully engaging with present-day perspectives, Margaret Preston reveals why her work continues to shape Australia's cultural identity nearly a century after it first redefined the nation's artistic landscape.
LEARN MORE: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/margaret-preston
