COLLINGS, DAHL (1909-1988)

"Night Flight" (1972)
oil on board
60 x 90cm
signed lower right
*private collection, Sydney
 
Dahl was an important Australian Modernist, Designer & Filmmaker. She studied at East Sydney Technical College under Rayner Hoff and the J.S. Watkins Studio Art School. Her career began at Anthony Horderns and Sons in 1928, and also did freelance work for Sydney department stores, Farmer and Company, and David Jones, and designed covers for The Home magazine. She married fellow designer, Geoffrey Collings, and relocated to London, where she worked with the legendary Lazlo Moholy Nagy and Gyorgy Kepes, and adopted their Modern approach to design. On returning to Sydney in 1938, Dahl was one of the first Australian women to introduce modern art and design principles to the Australian industry. Dahl exhibited with the Contemporary Art Society and the Australian Commercial and Industrial Artists’ Association, winning (with Geoffrey) 4 ACIAA awards in 1940. During WWII, Dahl Collings worked as a fashion artist and designer on Woman magazine. Dahl was costume and set designer for the Ealing Studios films, The Overlanders and Eureka Stockade. Following a 3 year stint in NYC working for Harper's Bazaar, she established the Collings Production film company in Sydney and many of the films they produced and directed won international awards, working with Sidney Nolan, Russell Drysdale and William Dobell. She had solo shows at the Bonython Gallery, Holdsworth Gallery in Sydney and at the City of Hamilton Art Gallery in Victoria.