This pioneering artist’s legacy isn’t in dispute – but her name is

There is little dispute in Australian art circles that Ethel Carrick was a gifted artist who forged new ground in the early 20th century with her bold and vibrant post-impressionist works.

Up for contention, however, is just how the late artist, in her first solo retrospective in 50 years, ought to be referred to: by her maiden name or the double-barrelled married name she took in honour of her deceased husband.

Naming dilemma: Ethel Carrick or Ethel Carrick Fox?Credit: Michael Howard

It’s a debate that goes to the heart of how artists should be represented posthumously in contemporary times when the use of a husband’s surname is no longer universal and the push is on to recognise female artists in their own right.

Gallerist, valuer and lecturer Leigh Capel sparked the naming quandary during a deep dive into the historical archives over Christmas to keep his eye in when auction houses were closed.

His sleuthing led him to question the National Gallery of Australia’s decision to drop “Fox” in Carrick’s name from its exhibition title.

That landmark show, Ethel Carrick, has brought together 135 works by the artist – a spin-off from NGA’s Know My Name initiative, highlighting underappreciated female artists.

It’s a triumph and a must-see for every art lover, says Capel, the director of Belle Epoque Fine Art, who has sold three Ethels on commission, specialises in forgotten Australian female artists, and enjoys solving the mysteries of vanished paintings. But he says the exhibition’s title does not reflect the name she used most of her later life and signed her works.

The case for Carrick Fox

British-born Carrick largely painted under her maiden name until the sudden death of her Australian-born husband, acclaimed portraitist Emanuel Phillips Fox, in 1915.

Fox died suddenly from cancer in Melbourne after 10 years of marriage. The shock of his passing crushed Ethel, and she spent the rest of her life promoting his legacy at the expense of her own.

Art lecturer and valuer Leigh Capel has raised questions around the naming protocols for the retrospective. Credit: Steven Siewert

In almost 40 years of widowhood, until her death in 1952, Capel says, the artist made a concerted effort to be known as Carrick Fox.

On his count, 92.4 per cent of paintings in the NGA show painted after 1915 bear the signature Carrick Fox. He says the lone painting, The Market, bearing the Carrick-only signature and sold for more than $1.4 million, could be misdated. Only 7 per cent of newspaper articles from the time referred to her as Ethel Carrick.

Documents including obituaries, death certificate and wills, and the grave inscription, refer to her as “Ethel Fox”, “Ethel Phillips Fox” or “Ethel Carrick Fox”. Close friends referred to her as “Phillips Fox”.

The will of Ethel Phillips Fox puts her works in the hands of fellow artist Frances Payne, who sold the paintings in two estate auctions under the name Carrick Fox.

What’s more, Capel says, there is “good reason” to believe the artist deliberately and retrospectively added “Fox” to her painted signature in homage to her late husband.

Two examples are held by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) – the only institution to purchase her work in her lifetime. Both these works were originally catalogued under the name Carrick Fox and later relisted under Carrick.

Artist in her own right

For the NGA’s part, curator Deborah Hart says the show’s title is consistent with the name the artist chose to exhibit under for most of her solo exhibitions before and after she married. In her research, Hart sourced 24 media reports post-1915 in which the artist was referred to by her maiden name.

Advertisement for the 1928 Paris solo show.Credit: From NGA catalogue, Ethel Carrick

During her career, the artist referred to herself as Ethel Carrick, Ethel Carrick Fox and Mrs Phillips Fox, all of which are valid, Hart said.

Hart cites a 1928 Paris show, one of the artist’s few solo exhibitions in France, that was listed under Carrick. “Madame E. Phillips-Fox” was placed in brackets.

The artist did the same in most of her catalogue listings for solo shows in Australia, Hart said, signalling an intent to be known as an artist in her own right.

“The fact that she spoke of herself as Ethel Carrick at the forefront of the titling of her exhibitions was a bold statement at the time and was conveyed in many media reports,” Hart said.

Loving her husband and wanting independence as an artist didn’t cancel each other out. Nor does it preclude, Hart says, the use of various titles in a show that promotes her art.

“In her personal life and on legal documents, she often used her married name, Phillips Fox, but as an artist, she often referred to herself as Carrick right to the time of one of her last exhibitions at the Melbourne Book Club Gallery in 1949, three years before her passing in 1952.”

During consultations with the family of Carrick and Phillips Fox none expressed any concern with the exhibition title, Hart said.

The Art Gallery of NSW loaned four oil paintings to the NGA for the Ethel Carrick retrospective – two bear the signatures of Carrick and two Carrick Fox. “We catalogued our works ‘by Ethel Carrick’ as she often exhibited under her own name rather than her married name,” it said.

Grey area

It’s tricky ground for galleries when historians look back on the lives of artists from a modern perspective.

Last year, the NGA found itself defending the naming of its Emily Kam Kngwarray retrospective, where it adopted a new spelling of her name, dropping the ‘e’ from Kame and Kngwarreye.

Capel says subtle changes matter, as alterations with time and Wikipedia can become fact. It’s why he is uncomfortable with conclusions drawn retrospectively around artists’ sexual orientation.

“Hers was a happy artistic marriage, and she was proud to be supportive of her husband,” he said.

“It wasn’t something she was downtrodden and struggling with. A project like that is determined to show that women have taken a back seat but, in some circumstances, they were very comfortable with the situation.”

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