Daphne Mayo contributed to art in Queensland through civic projects, such as the tympanum for Brisbane’s City Hall (1927–30), her advocacy for contemporary art and as the Queensland Art Gallery’s first woman trustee (1960–67). Having left school early due to her asthma, Mayo pursued her career as an artist single-mindedly. She studied at Brisbane’s Central Technical College where she attended modelling classes under LJ Harvey.

In 1914, Mayo won the inaugural Queensland Wattle Day League’s travelling art scholarship. Delayed until after World War One, she travelled to London in 1919, enrolling in the School of Sculpture at the Royal Academy of Arts. On graduating, she was awarded the gold medal for sculpture. Returning to Brisbane in 1925, Mayo was lauded for her achievements, winning a succession of major commissions, including the Queensland Women’s War Memorial (1929–32).

The Olympian c.1946, cast after 1958, represents Mayo’s awareness of international trends. She sculpted the figure during the years she lived in Sydney after returning from her second trip to Europe (1937–39) where she was impressed by the monumental nudes of French sculptors Aristide Maillol and Charles Despiau.