Josephine Muntz-Adams attended the NGV School in Melbourne where she trained under George Folingsby in the 1880s before heading to Europe to continue her studies at the Academie Colarossi, Paris and in England with Sir Hubert von Herkomer. She exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1892. Returning to Melbourne in 1896, moving to Brisbane where she was recognised with an art prize from the Queensland Art Society and collected by the Queensland Art Gallery in 1898, the first painting by an Australian artist to be purchased. Following the premature death of her husband, Muntz-Adams returned to Melbourne, continuing to paint, as well as teach. Her acclaim as a portrait painter extended to a number of important commissions, including the Victorian Parliament’s acquisition of former premier Duncan Gillies.
Represented:National Gallery of Victoria; Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art; Parliament House, Canberra; Parliament House, Melbourne; Bendigo Art Gallery; Manly Art Gallery; Benalla Art Gallery; Geelong Art Gallery;