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A Life in Abstraction
Yvonne Audette AM stands as one of Australia’s most dynamic and influential abstract expressionists, her career spanning more than seven decades and three continents. Born in Sydney in 1930 to American-born parents, Audette’s early life was marked by a precocious dedication to art. She began her formal training at the Julian Ashton Art School and East Sydney Technical College, studying under renowned artists such as Henry Gibbons, John Passmore, and Geoffrey Miller. Even as a teenager, she was already immersed in the creative world, modelling for celebrated photographers Max Dupain and David Moore.
At the age of 22, Audette set sail for the United States, seeking the epicentre of the burgeoning abstract expressionist movement. In New York, she was energized by the city’s creative ferment, meeting and mixing with legendary artists including Mark Rothko, Louise Nevelson, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, and Willem de Kooning. Audette was particularly struck by de Kooning’s Women series, which inspired her to fully embrace abstraction. She studied at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design, absorbing the avant-garde spirit of the era.
In 1955, Audette’s journey took her to Europe, where she established studios in Florence and Milan. The ancient graffiti and layered history of Rome’s walls fascinated her, influencing her approach to mark-making and surface. Encounters with artists like Cy Twombly further deepened her exploration of spontaneous gesture and abstraction. These years in Italy were pivotal, as Audette developed a unique visual language that blended the energy of New York with the lyricism and history of Europe.
Audette returned to Australia in the late 1960s, settling near Melbourne. Despite her international experience, she was initially overlooked by the local art scene. Nevertheless, she continued to paint and exhibit, her works described as international, multicultural, elegant, and sophisticated. Audette’s paintings are never merely descriptive; instead, they evoke music, memory, and the passage of time. She has said of her process: “It's like music. It starts to all vibrate and become a symphony.”
Her mature works are characterized by calligraphic marks, layered surfaces, and a poetic sense of space and light. Audette’s titles often reference music—reflecting her background as a trained pianist and her deep appreciation for the structure and emotion of sound. Works such as Concerto for Harpsichord and Flute (1966–68) and the Cantata series exemplify her ability to translate musical rhythm into visual form.
Art Nomad is honoured to offer a selection of Yvonne Audette’s paintings, each representing a distinct moment in her remarkable career. Among the works currently in stock are:
• UNTITLED (1979): Gouache, watercolour, oil, and ink on paper, this work exemplifies Audette’s mastery of layered abstraction and her ability to evoke emotion through subtle colour harmonies and dynamic mark-making.
• OVERPASS No. 1 (1954): An early and significant oil on canvas, this painting features bold, gestural brushwork and structured forms that reflect Audette’s engagement with the urban environment and her formative years in New York. It is recognized as a key example of her early abstract expressionist style.
• UNTITLED (1966–67): A classic example of Audette’s mid-career abstraction, with dynamic brushwork and subtle colour harmonies.
• RAILWAY SIGNAL AT THE CROSSING (1970): A striking composition that reflects Audette’s fascination with urban and industrial motifs.
Each of these works embodies the qualities that have made Audette’s art so enduring: a sense of lyricism, a mastery of colour and form, and an ability to evoke emotion through abstraction.
A significant milestone in Audette’s career was the major survey exhibition “Yvonne Audette: Different Directions 1954–1966” held at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from September 13, 2007, to February 17, 2008. This exhibition focused on her expatriate years and charted the development of her distinctive abstract vocabulary, from her earliest experimentation with abstract forms to the lyrical calligraphic and graffiti works for which she is renowned.
Despite periods of critical neglect, Audette’s reputation has flourished in recent decades. She was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Queen’s Honours List in June 2020, recognizing her significant contribution to Australian art1. Today, she continues to paint daily, her work celebrated for its international perspective and timeless beauty.
Important Collections Yvonne Audette’s paintings are held in many of Australia’s most prestigious public and private collections, including:
• National Gallery of Australia
• National Gallery of Victoria
• Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)
• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• TarraWarra Museum of Art
• University of Melbourne • Monash University
• Artbank Australia
Her work is also represented in numerous private collections in Australia and internationally.
Yvonne Audette’s art invites viewers into a world where music, memory, and abstraction converge. Her paintings, available at Art Nomad, offer collectors a rare opportunity to own a piece of Australian art history—works that continue to inspire and resonate across generations.
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