Elaine Haxton (1909-1999), a multifaceted artist encompassing painting, graphic art, and theatre design, was nurtured in the vibrant cultural milieu of Sydney. Despite leaving formal education at a tender age of fourteen, she honed her craft at the East Sydney Technical School under the guidance of Rayner Hoff. Her quest for artistic enrichment led her to London, where she immersed herself in the world of advertising while refining her skills at the Grosvenor School of Art. The outbreak of war redirected her path back to Australia via New York and Mexico, where her fascination with murals ignited.
In Sydney, Haxton entrenched herself as a pivotal figure among luminaries like Russell Drysdale, Donald Friend, and William Dobell, the latter immortalizing her in his Archibald Prize entry of 1941. Notably, in 1942, she undertook the prestigious commission by Walter Magnus to adorn the walls of the restaurant Le Coq D'Or in Ash Street, Sydney, with scenes from the Ballets Russes production, Le Coq D'Or. Her exemplary execution of these restaurant murals garnered her the Sulman Prize in 1943, although sadly they were painted over by the early 1950s.
Venturing into costume and set design for ballet in Dutch New Guinea marked another chapter in Haxton's eclectic career. Her artistic prowess was duly recognized when she clinched the Crouch Prize in Ballarat in 1946, prompting her return to New York for further studies in theatre design. A decade later, she stood as the sole female representative in the Australian delegation to China, an experience that profoundly influenced her subsequent artistic endeavors.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Haxton's oeuvre earned her acclaim as a six-time finalist for the Sulman Prize, testifying to her consistent artistic excellence. Her exhibitions, spanning a wide geographical reach, served as a testament to her enduring legacy in the realm of visual arts.