Bearing 'the conspicuous mark of talent' from an early age, the fiercely independent and opinionated Margaret Preston is one of Australia's most innovative early modernists. From the 1920s Preston moved rapidly to the forefront of Australian progressive art, producing a body of work that has remained crucially important to the traditions of Australian art. Her search for the essential truths of the Australian conditions as the basis for an authentic, modern, national art consumed her working life. This edition re-released as a hardback, features a new introduction, curator Deborah Edwards and looks in detail at the life and art of this extraordinary artist from the mid 1890s in Adelaide to her life in Sydney in 1963. Also featuring a CD-ROM catalogue raisonné of paintings, monotypes and ceramics, this richly-illustrated monograph is unrivalled in its scope.