AustLit

Elizabeth Durack was a prolific artist who is perhaps best known for her scene paintings of aboriginal station workers. She spent much of her life in the Kimberleys; much of the time in Broome. She held 65 exhibitions in her lifetime. Durack was awarded two honorary doctorates, as well as receiving a CMG and an OBE (in 1966).

Elizabeth Durack is well known as the illustrator of many works, including children's books and works of fiction, many of them written by her sister, Mary Durack (q.v.). As an artist, she was commissioned by a number of organisations, such as Hammersley Iron and the Australian Wool Board, to create theme series paintings. Such a series of some twenty paintings with a sport and beach theme, formally hanging in Perth's Palace Hotel, is now held by the Western Australian Office of the National Archives of Australia. She also wrote catalogues for exhibitions.

In 1997, Elizabeth Durack created considerable controversy when she revealed she had been painting under the pseudonym/persona of an aboriginal man, Eddie Burrup.

Durack was married to journalist Frank Clancy in 1939 and had two children, Perpetua and Michael. Durack family papers are held at the JS Battye Library (MN71). She was the sister-in-law of Horrie Milller and the aunt of Robin Miller (qq.v.)