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International Art Treasures Web Magazine July 2005 |
Art Gallery of South AustraliaPermanent CollectionAdelaide, in the south part of Australia, is the location of a fascinating collection of paintings and sculpture found in the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA). The best and brightest of Australian talent, past and contemporary, can be found in proximity to some excellent European and Asian artwork.
The British born Tom Roberts found his niche in Melbourne. It was Roberts who brought the Impressionist movement to Australia and who, like many of the Impressionists, preferred to work outside enjoying nature while painting and sketching the natural habitat. Roberts was a skilled portraitist and was able to rely on this to supplement his income, enabling him to paint his preferred landscapes. Roberts, along with Arthur Streeton, were involved in the Heildelberg School of painters. The group took its name from the tiny village in which they worked, which later became a suburb of Melbourne.
Donald Judd is predominantly known for his minimalist creations. At first a painter, he supported himself as an art critic, until turning to sculpture and from that developed his key style. Judd produced arrangements of rectangular structures leveled away from a wall. Much of his time was spent in New York. Eventually he moved to Texas to escape the art crowd. He achieved success during his life, yet fitting a known cliché, the former critic was notoriously thin-skinned. Towards the end of his life he adapted his art style to furniture creation.
The Art of Fiona Hall
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Photography. Painting. Sculpture. Installation. All are genres in which Australia artist Fiona Hall excels. Her work can be both ironic and amusing as it tickles the fancy of the eyes, wandering the display of ordinary household items, ranging from cans to glass beads and even money. Understorey and Tender both make their premiere in The Art of Fiona Hall. Each in its own way deals with the economics of modernization. The former features glass beads, which was once currency and the later takes shredded US dollars to create delicate bird nests. |
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Exhibition Curator, Julia Ewington, the Head of Australian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery observes, "Fiona Hall is an artist possessed by an insatiable curiosity." |
She continues to describe Fiona Hall as an artist who "constantly scavenges the world around her for ideas and images, searching for understanding, striving to make meaning."
What does it mean? That is for the individual to decide. When looking at baby clothes that are knitted from Coca-Cola cans. Is it an expression of contempt for corporate domination in individual lives, the predominate use of wearing clothes with the 'right' label as early as possible, or merely a witty observance? That is for the beholder to choose while enjoying the exhibition celebrating one of Australia's best known contemporary artists.
Title: Understorey (Detail) 1999-2004
Artist: Fiona Hall
Medium: Glass Beads, Silver Wire, Vitrina
Dimensions: 170 x 140 x 75cm, Installed
Collection: The Artist
Image Courtesy: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Grace Cossington Smith
July 29 - October 9, 2005
Title: Landscape at Pentecost, 1929
Artist: Grace Cossington Smith (Australian 1892-1984)
Medium: Oil on Paperboard
Dimensions: 83.7 x 111.8 cm
South Australian Government Grant, 1981
Permanent Collection and Image Courtesy: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Australia's foremost colorist, Grace Cossington Smith, is the subject of an upcoming exhibit that will include over 100 paintings and drawings. An added bonus for the visitors will be the inclusion of the post-impressionist's sketchbooks.
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Born towards the end of the 19th Century Grace Cossington Smith is credited with producing her homeland's first modernist work in 1915 entitled The Sock Knitter. The artist was a student of Dattilo Rubbo. She excelled at still life and landscapes but is best known for her beautiful interior scenes. |
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History
Prince Albert and Prince George, the future King George V, grandsons of Queen Victoria officially opened the AGSA in June 1881. After receiving a generous bequest in 1897 from Sir Thomas Elder, the gallery was able to purchase several paintings to add to its collection. The government of the day decided to build a wing to house these purchases, which was named for the benefactor, thus called the Elder Wing. Subsequent bequests followed allowing the AGSA to add to their impressive collection. They own such diverse works as Henri Fantin-Latour’s Poppies , William Bouguereau’s Virgin and Child and Frederic Leighton’s The feigned death of Juliet (1856-58) to name just a few. In fact nearly 90 % of the collection has come from art donations and bequests, an exemplary achievement!
An excellent permanent art collection and several upcoming exhibitions, including two that showcase the talents of the Australian artists themselves, are reasons to make a trip to Adelaide.
Title: West Wing Entrance, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Image Courtesy: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide