Geelong’s “most beautiful woman in the world” now adorns a wall in the city’s centre.
City Hall commissioned artist Michael Cassar to paint a mural of Moi-Yo Miller on the corner of James Street and Minns Lane as part of a central Geelong street-art project.
Ms Miller was renowned as the world’s most beautiful woman when she travelled internationally at a magician’s assistant during the 1930s.
“She shot to fame when she met the Great Magician Dante in Melbourne when she was appearing in a musical revue,” explained City Hall’s Brett Luxford.
“Dante asked her to be part of his show and she went on to become known as one of the all-time great magic assistants.”
Geelong Coast (GC) magazine interviewed Ms Miller at her Melbourne home in 2013 when she was aged 98.
“Oh, it was fun, such fun,” she said of her heyday touring the world with Dante,” she told GC.
“We were young and it didn’t seem like hard work, though I suppose it was.”
Ms Miller’s portrait follows other central city artworks of noted Geelong people including musician Chrissy Amphlett and Wathaurung elder King Billy.
Mr Luxford was rapt with the new addition.
“The striking mural of Moi-Yo Miller is a fantastic way to connect the community to one of Geelong’s iconic faces,” he said.
“Local artist Michael Cassar has spent hours of work on the mural and he is another example of the extraordinary creative talents that we have living in and contributing to the cultural fabric of our city.
“We’re proud to support his emerging professional career through this commission.”
