The University of Queensland

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Daphne Mayo, 1895-1982, was a remarkable woman of her time. She has been acknowledged as one of Australia's most important sculptors, particularly for her large monumental works in Brisbane during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

She studied at the Brisbane Technical College, and in 1914 won a travelling scholarship which enabled her to pursue her studies at the Royal Academy Sculpture School in London in the 1920s. There she was awarded Silver and Bronze medals and in 1923 won the Gold Medal and the Edward Stott Travelling Scholarship. Returning to Australia in 1925 she completed her monumental works in Brisbane.

From 1940, she established a career as a sculptor in Sydney, returning to Brisbane in 1960 where she remained until her death in 1982.

This on-line exhibition on the Daphne Mayo Collection, bequeathed to the Fryer Library in 1982, acknowledges Mayo's sculptural output and enduring commitment to Queensland art.

She was indeed "a significant woman of her time".

Left: Daphne Mayo pictured in her George Street studio, Sydney 1941, UQFL119_pic001

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