The Triumph of Landscape Painting • Australian
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AUSTRALIAN SURREALISM • THE TRIUMPHTHE LANDSCAPE OF PAINTING artonview ISSUE No.53 autumn 2008 artonview ISSUE No.53 AUTUMN 2007 NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA Z00 31853 Z00 1830s (detail) oil on canvas 35.0 x 44.5 cm Galerie Hans, Hamburg Hans, Galerie cm 44.5 x 35.0 canvas on oil (detail) 1830s h ~ 9 Junenga.gov.au 2008 9 ~ h C Two men observing men moon the Two Caspar David Friedrich David Caspar Canberra only 14 Mar 14 Canberraonly AUSTRALIAN SURREALISM the Agapitos/ Wilson collection A National Gallery of Australia Travelling Exhibition James GLEESON James The attitude of lightning towards a lady-mountain attitude of lightning towards The 1939 oil on canvas Purchased with the assistance of James Agapitos OAM and Ray Wilson OAM, 2007 OAM, Wilson and Ray OAM with the assistance of James Agapitos Purchased 1939 oil on canvas The National Gallery of Australia is an Australian Government Agency 16 February – 11 May 2008 National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Otto Dix Lens wird mit Bomben belegt [Lens being bombed] etching, drypoint National Gallery of Australia, Canberra © Otto Dix, licenced by VISCOPY, Australia 2008 artonview contents Issue 53, autumn 2008 (March–May) published quarterly by National Gallery of Australia GPO Box 1150 Canberra ACT 2601 2 Director’s foreword nga.gov.au ISSN 1323-4552 5 Foundation and Development Print Post Approved pp255003/00078 8 Turner to Monet: the triumph of landscape © National Gallery of Australia 2008 Copyright for reproductions of artworks is 16 Australian Surrealism: the Agapitos/Wilson collection held by the artists or their estates. Apart from uses permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of Artonview may be reproduced, 20 Richard Larter: a retrospective transmitted or copied without the prior permission of the National Gallery of Australia. Enquires about permissions should be made in 22 Conservation: Pacific Arts collection writing to the Rights and Permissions Officer. The opinions expressed in Artonview are not 26 Maori canoe guardian figure: a survivor from long ago necessarily those of the editor or publisher. editor 28 Children’s exhibition: Treescape Eric Meredith designer 30 New acquisitions Kristin Thomas photography Eleni Kypridis 49 Conservation: Green mountain blue II Barry Le Lievre Brenton McGeachie Steve Nebauer 50 Education programs John Tassie rights and permissions 53 Travelling exhibitions Nick Nicholson advertising 54 Faces in view Erica Seccombe printed in Australia by Pirion Printers, Canberra enquiries The editor, Artonview National Gallery of Australia GPO Box 1150 Canberra ACT 2601 [email protected] advertising Tel: (02) 6240 6587 Fax: (02) 6240 6427 [email protected] RRP: $8.60 includes GST Free to members of the National Gallery of Australia For further information on National Gallery of Australia Membership contact Coordinator, Membership GPO Box 1150 Canberra ACT 2601 Tel: (02) 6240 6504 [email protected] cover: JMW Turner Rocky bay with figures c. 1830 (detail) oil on canvas 90.2 x 123.2 cm Tate Britain Accepted by the British nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856 © Tate, London 2007 directors forword Director Ron Radford with The success of the National Gallery of Australia’s twenty-fifth Some of the finest public and private collections in participants in the 2008 Summer Art Scholarship anniversary events in 2007 culminated in the anniversary the world have loaned very important and rarely lent weekend held at the Gallery in October. As our twenty-fifth works of art for this exhibition, which plots a journey anniversary year continues in 2008, we are set to explore through the century, from English and German new terrain in anniversary exhibitions, displays and programs Romanticism, and French Realism, to Impressionism, that are ‘firsts’ for Australian audiences. Post Impressionism and Symbolism. A highlight in this year’s anniversary exhibitions program From the triumph of landscape to the landscape of the will be Turner to Monet: the triumph of landscape, which psyche, the exhibition Australian Surrealism: the Agapitos/ opens in mid March and runs for three months only and Wilson collection presents over 160 artworks from the only at the National Gallery of Australia. In the nineteenth 290 works in the collection Ray Wilson, OAM, and the late century, the art of landscape painting transformed from James Agapitos, OAM, assembled over the last fifteen years. the depiction of place to the very visceral expressions of I highly recommend that you visit Australian Surrealism as it mood and time passing. Now, in the twenty-first century, presents a rare opportunity to see so much of this, the most we celebrate what could only be described as the century important Australian Surrealism collection ever assembled, of landscape painting. Turner to Monet presents the rise together at one time. While the Agapitos/Wilson collection of landscape painting throughout the nineteenth century, is now part of the national collection, it may be some time from Europe to America and Australia, through such before so much of it is shown together again. Australian venerated artists as Turner, Constable, Friedrich, Corot, Surrealism, which is installed across two floors, opened at Courbet, Glover, von Guérard, Church, Streeton, Roberts, the end of February and will close in mid May. Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Monet. The exhibition We also have exciting news for our small but important will expand the horizons of Australian audiences by Pacific collection. A Maori canoe figure purchased in 1978 providing an opportunity to experience paintings never and thought to be from the early nineteenth century has before seen in Australia. In particular, this will be the first recently been tested using radiocarbon dating techniques. time that German Romantic paintings, and specifically The results of the tests were a pleasant surprise as we those of Caspar David Friedrich, have come to Australia. discovered the object to be from the early fifteenth century, Friedrich was the finest German representative of the the time of the beginnings of the European Renaissance – Romantic movement alongside his English contemporaries and quite a leap back into Maori history. Testing of other JMW Turner and John Constable. The German Romantics, objects in the collection will continue. of course, influenced Australian landscape artists such as The Gallery’s Pacific collection has also greatly benefited von Guérard and Chevalier. from the acquisition of an exquisite early-nineteenth- 2 national gallery of australia century huaki cloak from New Zealand. This Maori cloak, I thank Ron for his dedication and support and wish him Jochim Matthias Wendt Two-handled vase of which only a small number still survive in museums and well in his new position as Director of Newcastle Region with mounted emu egg galleries, mainly in New Zealand, is one of only two in Art Gallery. c. 1880 sterling silver, emu egg National Gallery of Australia, Australian public collections and is unique in its design. This year promises to be an exciting year for the Canberra This is the first Maori textile to join our small but extremely Gallery’s publishing program. New releases will shortly Jochim Matthias Wendt high quality and important Maori collection. include Redback Graphix, the next in a series of books Photograph holder with mounted emu egg Fittingly for the Gallery’s silver anniversary, a large focusing on the Gallery’s extensive print collection. c. 1890 sterling silver, emu private collection of Australian nineteenth- and early- A major catalogue for Turner to Monet: the triumph egg, glass, velvet, wood base National Gallery of Australia, twentieth-century silver has entered the national collection. of landscape and the final volume of the three-volume Canberra This major collection of beautiful and intricate works history of printmaking in Australia, Printed images by includes trophies, jewellery boxes, inkwells, cutlery and Australian artists 1955–2005, will also be released this personal accessories – 120 pieces in all. It presents an year, as will a new and very accessible handbook on the interesting social insight into Australian history and adds national collection. significantly to our collection of Australian silver specifically, The coming program of publications, exhibitions, new and to our Decorative Arts and Design collection generally. displays and major new acquisitions will continue to be Dennis Nona’s striking bronze crocodile, Ubirikubiri, inspired by our twenty-fifth anniversary, which provided familiar to audiences who have visited Culture Warriors, the vital energy that saw us through the challenging but the inaugural National Indigenous Art Triennial, is also a exciting events of the second half of 2007. welcome addition to the national collection. It has been purchased through the generosity of John and Janet Calvert-Jones. Ubirikubiri will soon travel with other works from Culture Warriors on a tour that will take it around Australia, starting with the Art Gallery of South Australia in June. When it returns to Canberra in 2009, it will be installed in the new Indigenous Art Galleries, part of Ron Radford Stage 1 of our building redevelopment, which commenced momentously last year. The Gallery also farewells Ron Ramsey, who has proven a valuable asset in a variety of roles over many years. On behalf of the Gallery Council, staff and members, artonview autumn 2008 3 credit lines The following donations have been received as part of Masterpieces for