Celebrating the work of Judy Cassab

Trinity's collection of Judy Cassab's work includes our portrait of Dame Leonie Kramer, an alumna of the College’s Womens Hostel and subsequently Deputy Chancellor, then Chancellor of the University of Sydney.

To celebrate, we are currently displaying her works in the Reception foyer and the Dining Hall.

Trinity College is proud to be listed as one of the participating national institutions promoting their holding of her works as part of the anniversary – ranking amongst the National Portrait Gallery, the Art Gallery of NSW, National Library of Australia, Sydney Opera House, and others. Full list here

About Judy Cassab

Born Judit Kaszab in 1920 in Vienna to Hungarian parents, she was raised by her mother and grandmother in Beregszász, Hungary. She painted her first portrait at age 12.

After studying at the Budapest Academy, Judy immigrated to Australia in 1951 with her husband, Jansci Kampfner, and two young sons.

Here, she gained recognition for her strong expressionistic interpretation of the Australian landscape and her ability to uniquely capture the character of her portrait sitters.

These include Princess Alexandra, Queen Sirikit, Joan Sutherland, The Maharajah of Jaipur, the Duke of Kent, and celebrated painters such as John Coburn, Nora Heysen, Sidney Nolan, Wendy Sharp and Brett Whiteley.

She was the first female artist in more than two decades to win the Archibald Prize with her portrait of Stanislaus Rapotec in 1961, and then again in 1967 with her portrait of Margo Lewers. These wins solidified her place as one of Australia’s most sought after portrait painters.

In 1969 she received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of service to the visual arts. In 1988 she received the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), again in recognition for service to the visual arts. In 1995 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Sydney University. In 2011, the Hungarian government presented her with the Gold Cross of Merit.

She has held over 70 solo shows since her first exhibition at Macquarie Galleries in 1953.  The events surrounding this anniversary have spanned from November 2013 through until this March 2014, culminating in this national showing of her works.