MUNNINGS, EDITH (1867-1939)

"Gateway, Singur Fort, India" (1933)
watercolour
cm
details on verso
*private collection, Sydney
 
Edith Emma Munnings (aka Strutton) was a pioneering New Zealand Artist & Missionary. She was the cousin of famous English Horse Painter, Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959). She was one of the first-day pupils of the Canterbury College School of Art when it opened on 1 March 1882. In 1887, she was enrolled in evening classes at the school, and achieved an "excellence" in her end-of-year examination. In 1892, she joined the newly formed Palette Club, a group of artists who met weekly to study nature and offer each other help and constructive criticism. Her paintings were included in the club's exhibitions. In 1893, Munnings was appointed to the staff of the School of Art. In 1900, Munnings married Rev. Harry Strutton and together they joined an Australia Church of Christ mission in Baramati, India. In 1917 the couple took over responsibility for the Criminal Tribes Settlement at Solapur, and some years later they moved to Lonavla, where Munnings died in 1939. Munnings continued to paint while in India, predominantly landscapes with figures. Although her works are rare, she is represented in several important National Institutions including the Christchurch Art Gallery & the National Library of New Zealand.