An Australian Author Has Written the Definitive Story of France's Most Misunderstood Queen, Marie-Antoinette
The Human Story Behind Queen Marie-Antoinette, and the Bourbon Dynasty. Drawing On Rare Access to the National Archives of France.
Endorsed by the Former French and Australian Ambassadors.
The Queen History Remembers. The Woman No One Understood.
A New Portrait of Marie-Antoinette, the new novel by Ashley Dawson-Damer.
Ashley Dawson-Damer is a Sydney-based specialist historian of Queen Marie-Antoinette, and advocate for the arts, whose decades of work include roles with the National Institute of Dramatic Art and the National Gallery of Australia, as well as a former trusteeship of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Her fourth book, Marie Antoinette (Pemberley Press), is an illustrated historical and cultural biography that draws on rare access to the National Archives of France to bring a fresh, human portrait of one of history's most misunderstood queens. Weaving that rare archival material with a real fashion-and-style-icon throughline, Ashley traces the woman behind the icon for readers, historians, and arts and fashion explorers alike.
A thought leader in philanthropy, she exemplifies the transformative power of trailblazers in preserving and promoting cultural heritage — shining a new light on Queen Marie Antoinette's legacy for a new generation.
About the Author
Ashley Dawson-Damer tells the story at the building with the dramatic historical significance. This location at the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, (22 avenue de Paris, Versailles), was home to a separate Menus-Plaisirs administrative presence and workshops in Paris as an institution.
The Menus-Plaisirs du Roi was the royal household department responsible for designing and staging every court ceremony, festival, and spectacle, right down to the smallest detail. It was this department that designed and produced the celebrations for Marie-Antoinette's wedding to the Dauphin Louis in 1770. Tune in for more!
Ashley Dawson-Damer is a celebrated Australian philanthropist, author, and advocate for the arts. A former trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, she was awarded the prestigious Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal by the French government in recognition of her steadfast support for French arts and culture in Australia. With several published books to her name, the author is exemplifying the transformative power of women preserving and promoting cultural heritage.
-
13 January 2023 The Ashley Dawson-Damer Children’s Art Library – the first of its kind in Australia – is now open at the Art Gallery, providing a relaxing place of wonder for children and their families during holidays and beyond. Learn more here.
-
Ashley Dawson-Damer is a leading philanthropist with a deep appreciation for performing and visual arts. She is a former trustee of the Art Gallery of NSW and has served as director of Opera Australia Capital Fund since 2014. Over the last thirty years, Ashley has been a member of the board of the Festival of Sydney, the National Art School, the National Gallery of Australia Council and Foundation, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, and more.
-
Friday, 14 July 2023 Join the honourable Ashley Dawson-Damer and celebrate Bastille Day as she delves into the fascinating life of Marie Antoinette. Hear about the young queen whose name became synonymous with destruction and scandal in 18th-century France. Learn more here.
-
![Ashley Dawson-Damer was awarded France's Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government for her contribution to the arts.]()
While women on boards are now relatively common, when Dawson-Damer started down that path, it wasn't the norm…
-
![Aenduring passion for European and Australian history that deepened into a specialisation in French history, the Bourbon Dynasty, and her favourite historical figure, Queen Marie-Antoinette — the subject of many talks she has given over the years. .]()
Of all the boards to which she has been appointed, Dawson-Damer says the AGNSW and NGA were the most challenging. In both instances, she says there had been objections to her appointment.
-
![Enduring passion for European and Australian history that deepened into a specialisation in French history, the Bourbon Dynasty, and her favourite historical figure, Queen Marie-Antoinette — the subject of many talks she has given over the years.]()
Ashley Dawson-Damer was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal by H.E Ambassador Christophe Penot for her unwavering support of the French Arts and Culture in Australia.
-
![ashley dawson]()
"Mrs. Ashley Dawson-Damer is often seen on social pages and described as a "celebrated arts patron, staunch Liberal." —The Sydney Morning Herald
Art Gallery of NSW: Art Appreciation Lecture
A special Art Appreciation lecture exploring the enigmatic love triangle between Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Axel von Fersen, set against the backdrop of the French Revolution.
Presented by the Honourable Ashley Dawson-Damer AM. Learn more.
Shaping The Cultural Landscape Of Australia
Media Highlights
The Ashley Dawson-Damer Children’s Art Library – the first of its kind in Australia – is now open at the Art Gallery, providing a relaxing place of wonder for children and their families during holidays and beyond.
Learn more from NSW.
-
-
13 January 2023 The Ashley Dawson-Damer Children’s Art Library – the first of its kind in Australia – is now open at the Art Gallery, providing a relaxing place of wonder for children and their families during holidays and beyond. Learn more here.
-
Friday, 14 July 2023 Join the honourable Ashley Dawson-Damer and celebrate Bastille Day as she delves into the fascinating life of Marie Antoinette. Hear about the young queen whose name became synonymous with destruction and scandal in 18th-century France. Learn more here.
“This is Ashley Dawson-Damer’s motivation for her membership of many of the country’s leading arts boards (NIDA, NGA, Opera Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Festival of Sydney) – the desire to bring justice for those without a voice, to make the arts and all their joys and beauties available to everyone in Australia.”— The Canberra Times
“Years before she became one of our most prominent arts patrons, Ashley Dawson-Damer suffered a raft of personal tragedies that would test her sense of self.” - The Sydney Morning Herald
“The author of three books, Ashley Dawson-Damer has a story that resonates with women who are empowered by her ability to find the positive in the everyday and to keep moving through life’s challenges.”
—The Sydney Morning Herald
“She is a minefield of experience and insight. If she combines those strengths with energy and wit, she is unstoppable.”
“The incomparable heartache of multiple miscarriages, the challenges of single motherhood, her surprise entry into modelling and the joy of a second chance at love. And when her world is unexpectedly torn apart, Ashley pushes through her grief to find solace in the arts.”
—Andrew Hornery, senior journalist and columnist for
The Sydney Morning Herald
“As a board director I have been on the ground floor of this plan, this ambition.” - read the full story here: the Daily Telegraph.
“The new library at the Art Gallery of NSW is dedicated to donor Ashley Dawson-Damer, a prominent philanthropist in the arts sector and former model. The children’s education space in her name will form part of the blue-blooded patron’s legacy as she ends her nine-year tenure on the gallery’s board of trustees.”
In Conversation With The National Gallery, London
The Hon. Ashley Dawson-Damer
44 min 32 sec | 2020
Australian philanthropist and author of several books, Ashley Dawson-Damer, talks to Angeliki Alexandri about her recently published memoir, her involvement in the Australian arts scene, and her passion for history. Learn more.
