Barbara Blackman

This article is about the Australian writer and poet. For the American art historian, see Barbara Blackmun. For the American politician, see Barbara Blackmon.

Barbara Blackman
AO
Born
Barbara Patterson

(1928-12-22)22 December 1928
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died4 October 2024(2024-10-04) (aged 95)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Occupations
  • Writer
  • poet
  • librettist
  • arts patron
  • artist model
  • radio personality
  • interviewer
[1]
Notable work
  • All My Januaries: Pleasures of Life and Other Essays
  • Glass after Glass: Autobiographical Reflections
  • Portrait of a Friendship: The Letters of Barbara Blackman and Judith Wright
SpouseCharles Blackman (1952–1978)
Children3

Barbara Blackman AO (née Patterson; 22 December 1928 – 4 October 2024) was an Australian writer and essayist, poet, librettist, radio broadcaster and interviewer, artist, artist's model and activist and philanthropist, who was a patron of the arts and a cultural polymath.[2][3]

She was married to artist Charles Blackman from 1952 and 1978, who was best known for his Alice in Wonderland paintings, and she featured as an artist model for Blackman.

Blackman was known for her several memoirs and letter writings, and as an arts patron was a noted philanthropist, who in 2004, donated $1 million to a number of Australian music organisations, including Pro Musica, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Australian National University's School of Music and the Stopera Chamber Opera Company. In 2006, she was awarded the Australian Contemporary Music Award for Patronage, and was honoured with the Order of Australia (AO)in 2012.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference trove was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Lemon, Barbara (18 February 2013). "Blackman, Barbara (1928 - )". The Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  3. ^ Grishin, Sasha (16 June 2017). "Barbara Blackman: Seeing from within". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Galvin2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).