Quick Facts
Biography
Melissa Beowulf (born 1957) is an artist, specialising in portraiture and sculpture. She grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to Canberra in the late 1980s. She is based at both Canberra and Woollahra.
Education
Beowulf undertook a Masters in Art Practice in Sydney.
Exhibitions
Group exhibitions
- M16 Artists' Exhibition, M16 Artspace, Canberra, 21 August - 7 September 2014
- Mystic Visions, Beowulf Galleries Woollahra, June - 29 July 2007
- Unhung heroes, Paintbox Fine Art, May 2005
- The Unhung Heroes, Made for Australia Galleries, Deakin, Canberra, July 2002
- Tenants Show, Leichhardt Street Studios, Kingston, Canberra, September 2001
Art awards
In 2000, she was a finalist in the Archibald Prize with a portrait of painter Ken Done.
In 2002, she was a finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize for her portrait of Nancy Wake (later acquired by the National Portrait Gallery). Beowulf chose Wake as a subject to help ensure she got more recognition for her service within Australia.
In 2001, she was selected for the Archibald Prize's Salon des Refusés for her portrait of the National Gallery's Brian Kennedy.
In 2010, she was a finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award with a portrait of comedian Adam Spencer. She was also highly commended for the award in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003. Her 1998 entry was a portrait of Pru Goward. Her 2003 entry was a self-portrait.
Public collections
In 2006, the National Portrait Gallery of Australia acquired Beowulf's portrait of war veteran Nancy Wake (2001), with funds provided by Leonard Gordon Darling AM CMG. The Gallery also has her portrait of Donald Horne (2000), received through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program 2015.
Personal life
Beowulf and her husband, Thorhammer (Thor) Beowulf had five sons; Thorsten, Bjorn, Thorin, Beren, and Neils. Thor passed away from pancreatic cancer on 7 August 2015.
In August 2017, Beowulf and her son Bjorn, faced the ACT Magistrates Court, formally charged with the 12 October 2015 murder of her elderly mother-in-law, Katherine Helene Panin. Both plead not guilty and were remanded in custody. One of Beowulf's other sons, Thorsten, later appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court, and similarly plead not guilty, and was remanded in custody. Their assets may have been frozen, which could have impeded their bail applications. It is expected that Beowulf, Bjorn and Thorsten will reappear in court in December 2017.
The National Portrait Gallery has stated that Beowulf's portrait of Nancy Wake would not be removed from the courts, and that nothing would be done while the matter was before the courts.