The first Australian painting of schizophrenia by Ivor Francis

This article examines the 1943 surrealistic painting Schizophrenia by Ivor Francis, the first major Australian art work depicting a mental disorder. Francis was influenced by Max Harris who encouraged him to read works on surrealism and psychoanalysis, but took his ideas from the book on schizophrenia by the radical Melbourne psychiatrist, Reg Ellery.

Ivor Francis produced a riveting painting that stands as an enduring visual beacon in the cultural history of Antipodean psychiatry.