Helen McCullagh
Tanya Chaitow
Tanya Chaitow is a painter who works with disruptive narrative and a lexicon of her own symbols. Through humour, fantasy and art history, her work becomes a personal odyssey with which to explore the human spirit and the fine distinction between fantasy and reality. Born in South Africa, Tanya Chaitow has an Honours degree in English literature and theatre from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
She immigrated in 1978, completing her Masters of Fine Arts at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales in 2007. Tanya Chaitow’s practice draws on her interest in the theatre, storytelling and the theatrical. In 2007 she completed a residency at the Cité of Paris and returned for a second residency in 2010 to undertake research into the arts of mime and theatre.
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Tanya Chaitow has been selected as a finalist in many prestigious art prizes on multiple occasions, the Dobell Prize for Drawing, the Blake Prize, the Mosman Art prize, the Salon des Refusees, the Fleurieu Art Prize, the Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize, The Fishers Ghost Art Award, the Kedumba Drawing Prize and the Stanthorpe Art Prize.
Since graduation Tanya Chaitow has exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions. She has been represented by Stella Downer Fine Arts Gallery since 2004. Her work is represented in collections in Australia and overseas.
After Gabriel Metsu 20.5 x 25.5 cm Acrylic On Board $650
After Pieter de Hooch 20.5 x 25.5 cm Acrylic On Board $650
After Francisco Goya 20.5 x 25.5 cm Acrylic On Board $650
After the Old Masters 20.5 x 25.5 cm Acrylic On Board $650
After Johannes Vermeer 20.5 x 25.5 cm Acrylic On Board $650
Selected Biography
2010 Residency at the Cite International des Arts Paris, France
2007 Masters of Fine Art, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Residency at the Cite International des Arts Paris, France April – June
2006 Worked with the Bell Shakespeare Company during rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet
2003 New York Studio School Painting Marathon, Adelaide School of Art, Adelaide
2001 New York Studio School Painting Marathon, Adelaide School of Art, Adelaide
1998 Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours, College of Fine Arts, University of NSW, Sydney
1991 Diploma Fine Arts, Meadowbank TAFE, Sydney
1988-90 Ass. Diploma Fine Art, Meadowbank TAFE, Sydney
1979 Diploma of Education, Kuringai College of Advanced Education, NSW
1978 Bachelor Drama with Honours, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Solo Exhibitions
2016 A cup of sea to sail in Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2014 Moonlighting with Ai WeiWei, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2013 Moon Days, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2011 Battle for the day before, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2008 There’s A Moose In The Stairwell, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2007 Nothing Personal, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
Master of Fine Art Exhibition, College of Fine Arts, University of NSW, Sydney
2001 Cumulus, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney 2000 Jumprope, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney
Selected Group Exhibitions
2018 Stella Downer Fine Art Gallery Group show 12 June-7 July 2018
2017 Adelaide Perry Drawing prize, Adelaide Perry Gallery
A Stella Renaissance, Stella Downer Fine Art Gallery
2016 Chippendale New World Art Prize, Ng Gallery Chippendale
2015 Kedumba Drawing Prize
2015 Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, NSW
Chippendale New World Art Prize, Ng Gallery Chippendale
Gallery Artists, Stella Downer Fine Arts, Sydney
Lethbridge 10 000 Small scale art award Lethbridge Gallery Queensland
2014 Gallery Artists, Stella Downer Fine Arts, Sydney
Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Prize Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
2013 Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney
Blake Prize, College of Fine Arts, Sydney
Gallery Artists, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
The North Sydney Art Prize, Coal Loader Centre, Sydney
Zoologica, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2012 Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney
Melbourne Art Fair, represented by Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
anim(us), Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
2011 The Dobell Prize for Drawing, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Fleurieu Art Prize, Hardy’s Winery, McLaren Vale, SA
Waverly Woollahra Art Prize, Waverly Woollahra Art School, Sydney
Salon de Refusés, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
The Papermill, Sydney
2010 The Dobell Prize for Drawing, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Melbourne Art Fair, represented by Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
Stanthorpe Art Festival, Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Qld
Hunters Hill Art Prize, Sydney
2009 The Dobell Prize for Drawing, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
The Inaugural Blake Prize Directors Cut Exhibition, online exhibition
Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
Hunters Hill Art Prize, Sydney
2007 Weill Rooms at the Cite International des Arts, Paris, France
Willoughby Art Prize, Willoughby Council Chambers, Sydney
The 58th Blake Prize, National Art School Gallery, Sydney
2006 Art on the Rocks, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Gallery (Highly commended)
2005 Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
The Blake Prize, Sir Hermann Black Gallery, University of Sydney
2004 Blake Prize, Sir Hermann Black Gallery, University of Sydney
Works on Paper, Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney
Art on the Rocks, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Gallery
Celebrating Ten Years, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney
2002 Generation 2002, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney
New York Drawing Marathon, Adelaide
1999 Delicious: Showcase 1999, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney
New York Drawing Marathon, Adelaide
Alumni Exhibition, Kudos Gallery, Sydney
Willoughby Art Prize, Willoughby Council Chambers, Sydney
Hunters Hill Art Prize, Hunters Hill Town Hall, Sydney
1998 Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown City Art Gallery, Sydney
Waverley Woollahra Art Prize, Sydney (Highly Commended)
Willoughby Art Prize, Willoughby Council Chambers, Sydney
Graduating Students Exhibition, College of Fine Arts Gallery
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2014 Moonlighting with Ai Weiwei, Tracey Clement Art Guide January/February
2013 Moon Days The Planner, Metro, Sydney Morning Herald. 6 December
Moon Days The Art Life, Sharne Wolff, 29 November
Michael Fitzgerald, ‘Open gallery’, Spectrum, The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 – 18 August
2012 ‘Zoologica’, etc, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February 2012
Eleanor Pearson, ‘Arts ‘powerful whimsy’; Love of adopted Australian landscape inspires artist’s
work’, North Shore Times, 16 March, p.13
2011 Andrew Frost, ‘Animal Instincts’, Metro, Sydney Morning Herald, 15 April
Greg Doyle, Sydney Pundit ‘Tanya Chaitow @ Stella Downer Fine Art'
Danny Gocs, ‘Whimsical Artworks’, Artbeat, Australian Jewish News, 1 April
Hayley Morgan, ‘Tanya Chaitow, Battle for the day before’, TwoThousand 17 March
2010 Feature Artist, 15 July Kate Adams, ‘Tanya Chaitow’, Artist Profile, iss. 10, Summer
2009 John Mathews, ‘On the Dobell Prize 2009 @ AGNSW’, ArtKritique, 5 December
Christopher Allen, ‘Tumult captured on paper’, The Australian, 13 November
2008 Daniel Mudie Cunningham, Artnotes, Art Monthly, December – February
2007 Jo Higgins, Australian Art Collector, iss. 39, January – March The Planner, The SMH, March 3
2001 The Australian Jewish News, November 2000 The Australian Jewish News, July 7 1998 Craft Arts
International no. 43