Gladys Busch is a noted Australian Artist Dollmaker who was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in1982 to study traditional dollmaking and restoration techniques in Japan, England, France, Germany and the United States of America.

Born in Rockhampton, Gladys experimented at any early age with the making of rag dolls.  She was fascinated by the people and faces from her painting and drawing classes.  Classical and national dance lessons sparked her interest in history and costume and it was this early environment that marked the beginning of her progression to a professional artist of international repute.

Gladys uses her talents and techniques to create unique images of her subjects, combining her abilities as sculptor, painter, needlewoman and costume designer.  Her dolls, representing well-known , including politicians, actors and athletes, have been celebrated internationally for their exquisite detail and accuracy and are featured in museums and private collections around the world. 

Gladys was commissioned by the Australian Bicentennial Authority in 1984 to create the collection known as “The Australian Historical Doll Collection”.  At the conclusion of the bicentennial year, the Queensland Performing Arts Trust was delighted to accept these unique examples of the dollmaker’s art for its permanent collection. 

Gladys has donated two of her well-known lifelike doll creations, representing Winston Churchill (age 9) and his mother Jennie Churchill, to Winston Churchill’s birthplace, Blenheim Palace, in England.

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