Emanuel Philips Fox

Emanuel Phillips Fox (1865-1915) was an Australian impressionist painter who remained committed to a late nineteenth century aesthetic that paid homage to Impressionism while retaining the tonal values of academic realism.

He came to Europe in 1887 and studied in Paris, and painted at the artists colonies at Etaples and in Brittany. In 1890 he settled in St Ives and was one of the founder members of the St Ives Arts Club in 1990. He enjoyed great success in London and Paris, becoming the first Australian to be awarded a gold medal at the Salon for ‘Portrait of my Cousin’. He returned to Australia in 1892.

In 1990 he was given a commission by the Gilbee bequest to paint ‘The Landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay’, which under the terms of the bequest he was required to paint overseas. He therefore travelled to Europe, before coming back to St Ives in 1901 where he rented Studio 5 to carry out the commission. The painting is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria at Melbourne. He remained based in Europe for most of the rest of his career.

Text: Ben Crack