VAS Norma Bull Scholarship Award Exhibition 2025
This is a biennial award which aims to encourage students of all ages to advance in the naturalistic style of portraiture. The 2025 scholarship is for $5000, which will enable the winning artist to further progress their painting practice.
Andrew Li's Winning Artwork of the VAS Norma Bull Portraiture Scholarship Award;
titled Self Portrait in the Garden
Norma Bull 1906-1980
Portrait with Blue Headdress
Oil, VAS Permanent Collection
Norma Bull, the painter, etcher and art teacher, was born in Melbourne in September 1906.
She began her career in 1929 at the National Gallery School, where she produced some fine portraits and competent etchings, for example, Batman's Landing 1935, etching and aquatint, National Gallery of Australia.
In 1937 she won the Sir John Longstaff scholarship to travel and work overseas.
Norma went to London, where she was an accredited Australian war artist during World War II. An exhibition of these artists' works recording the damage caused by German bombing raids on cities and towns throughout Britain - about 200 paintings and etchings in all - was held at London's Australia House in November 1947.
On her return to Australia after nine years abroad, Norma followed Wirth's Circus around Australia, passionately painting the acrobats, animals, clowns, people and scenes of circus life.
After a long and distinguished career, Norma Bull passed away in 1980. In her honour a Trust was established to celebrate the study of art in the form of naturalist portraiture.
Media Enquiries:
Ron Smith OAM Hon FVAS, Victorian Artists Society - Mobile: 0417 329 201
Acknowledgment of traditional owners.
We would like to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which our building stands, their leaders, past, present and emerging.