Margaret Michaelis: Love Loss And Photography

The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction: Winner 2006 Margaret Michaelis's story is one that belongs to the twentieth century. A Jewish modernist photographer, her life was shaped by momentous historical events- the rise of fascism in Germany and Spain and the outbreak of World War II. After settling in Australia she suffered acute personal losses and challenges in finding a new path for her art and life. Judges report: A story of migration, photography and politics, the life of Austrian-born Margaret Michaelis, who came to Australia in 1939, is undeservedly obscure. Helen Ennis remedies this in a remarkable synthesis of art criticism, biography, history and exploration, combining scholarship and fine writing. In this beautifully produced book, Ennis journeys to uncover the mysteries of a life of a fine artist.