The Archibald Prize is turning a corner. Just not yet
The most obvious trend this year is the swing towards subjects being portrayed in their natural environments or surrounded by personal motifs – note Whitney Duan's portrait Rainbow Chan, of Chun Yin Rainbow Chan, who is perched before a lazy Susan, and Billy Bain's outback portrait of Rona Panangka Rubuntja ringed with ceramic icons.
Multiculturalism has also arrived at AGNSW en masse. The companion children's competition, the Young Archie, has been flush with diverse faces for many years, while the Archibald remained stiffly Caucasian, with occasional exceptions.
This year's hang finally resembles modern Australia: just over half the sitters are white, there are slightly more women than men, and more female artists than males. Sadly, there are no scientists or politicians — although, in the current climate, it's hard to imagine anyone regrets the absence of politicians.
The upshot of an exhibition in flux is a wildly uneven show. There's an abundance of naïve works; too many figures appear crudely cut-and-pasted onto the background. And there's a conga line of lifeless celebrity pictures, the kind that usually appeals to the gallery's packers.
Consider Jaq Grantford's double portrait of Nicole and Antonia Kidman, Col Mac's Miranda Otto, Kelly Maree's Jackie O, Jeremy Eden's elaborate portrait of Boy Swallows Universe teen star Felix Cameron, or Sally Ryan's Kathy Lette. Evan Shipard's floral oil-on-linen of Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis has popular appeal too.
Among the more extraordinary portraits is Natasha Bieniek's modest oil on wood of Cressida Campbell, which captures the introverted artist with a surgeon's precision and an opera singer's heart.
Callum Worsfold's tiny self-portrait is sunk into an overbearing black frame that makes the viewer feel as though they're peering into his studio through a slit in a door.
Vipoo Srivilasa's self-portrait with cats is a joyous assembly of sketches on a yellow ceramic tile — an antidote to Chris O'Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa)'s haunting, raw self-portrait in hospital, capturing the 73-year-old artist in a moment of fragile health.
Clara Adolphs' portrait of Aboriginal artist Adrian Jangala Robertson might win over the judges, and Natasha Walsh has captured a simmering energy in Melbourne's South Sudanese artist and writer Atong Atem.
It's difficult to pick the winner from this exhibition in flux – which is also partly the product of immense change at AGNSW. Maud Page recently took over as director of an institution that has had just two leaders for the better part of 50 years: Michael Brand and Edmund Capon.
The Archibald has a new curator responsible for the hang: Beatrice Gralton. The Archibald finalists and winner, along with those for the companion Wynne landscape and sculpture prize, are selected by the AGNSW Trust, now led by lawyer Michael Rose, who took over from businessman David Gonski, president for 19 of the last 37 years.
Oscar-winning film producer Emile Sherman and former Liberal opposition leader and arts minister Peter Collins are also new additions to the trust.
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West Australian
7 days ago
- West Australian
What to Watch: The Survivors, Stick, This City Is Ours, Lego Masters and Guy Mont Spelling Bee
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The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Never-before-seen Margaret Preston artworks go on show
Two recently discovered paintings by one of Australia's most significant artists are going on show to the public for the first time. Margaret Preston is best known for her distinctively Australian still lifes and printmaking, but while based in Ireland during World War I, she painted two post-Impressionist views of the coast. The oil paintings were held in a private collection in Britain, and even art scholars specialising in Preston's work were unaware the paintings existed, according to Art Gallery of South Australia curator Tracey Lock. The paintings will finally go on public display as part of Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, currently on at the Art Gallery of South Australia, before opening at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in October. The exhibition is a joint project by both galleries, with art from their collections making up about half the works on show - what's more, the galleries have acquired one of the Preston paintings each. With 50 artists and 220 artworks, Dangerously Modern is billed as the first major exhibition to explore the role of Australian women in modernism internationally. At the turn of the 20th century, waves of women artists left Australia to work overseas, in defiance of social expectations at the time. Not only did these artists contribute to the development of modernism in Europe, they returned home with fresh ideas that helped modernise Australia too. The exhibition title comes from an article by artist Thea Proctor, who returned from London to Sydney in 1921 to find her art described as "dangerously modern". The show also includes work from the likes of Nora Heysen and Grace Cossington Smith, but there are names that are less well known, such as Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Many trailblazing women artists were successful during their lifetimes, only to find themselves written out of art history in the postwar period, said Lock. "Almost overnight - bam! They are erased from the record," she said. Dangerously Modern is no less than an effort to bring these artists back into the historical narrative - and a 65,000-word catalogue with essays from 29 art scholars should help. Lock believes part of the reason women have been left out is that Australian art history (and those writing it) did not value the themes these artists were exploring at the time. Rather than the usual tenets of light, landscape and national identity, women artists such as Anne Dangar were exploring notions of spiritualism, for example. "Our women get lost, they get a bit stuck in some blind spot in Australian art, we don't know what to do with them," said Lock. "Frankly, it's time to change, and show the power of this work." While Australia's state galleries regularly loan works, they do not often collaborate on the design and concept of a show. But when AGNSW and AGSA realised they were preparing similar exhibitions, they decided to work together. There are Sydney artists such Proctor, Dangar and Cossington Smith, as well as Grace Crowley, while South Australian names include Dorrit Black along with Heysen and Preston. "Maybe it's in the water or something, but it turns out Adelaide has produced a number of very talented modern women artists," said Lock. Dangerously Modern is on at the Art Gallery of South Australia until September 7 and will show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from October 11 until February 2026. Two recently discovered paintings by one of Australia's most significant artists are going on show to the public for the first time. Margaret Preston is best known for her distinctively Australian still lifes and printmaking, but while based in Ireland during World War I, she painted two post-Impressionist views of the coast. The oil paintings were held in a private collection in Britain, and even art scholars specialising in Preston's work were unaware the paintings existed, according to Art Gallery of South Australia curator Tracey Lock. The paintings will finally go on public display as part of Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, currently on at the Art Gallery of South Australia, before opening at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in October. The exhibition is a joint project by both galleries, with art from their collections making up about half the works on show - what's more, the galleries have acquired one of the Preston paintings each. With 50 artists and 220 artworks, Dangerously Modern is billed as the first major exhibition to explore the role of Australian women in modernism internationally. At the turn of the 20th century, waves of women artists left Australia to work overseas, in defiance of social expectations at the time. Not only did these artists contribute to the development of modernism in Europe, they returned home with fresh ideas that helped modernise Australia too. The exhibition title comes from an article by artist Thea Proctor, who returned from London to Sydney in 1921 to find her art described as "dangerously modern". The show also includes work from the likes of Nora Heysen and Grace Cossington Smith, but there are names that are less well known, such as Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Many trailblazing women artists were successful during their lifetimes, only to find themselves written out of art history in the postwar period, said Lock. "Almost overnight - bam! They are erased from the record," she said. Dangerously Modern is no less than an effort to bring these artists back into the historical narrative - and a 65,000-word catalogue with essays from 29 art scholars should help. Lock believes part of the reason women have been left out is that Australian art history (and those writing it) did not value the themes these artists were exploring at the time. Rather than the usual tenets of light, landscape and national identity, women artists such as Anne Dangar were exploring notions of spiritualism, for example. "Our women get lost, they get a bit stuck in some blind spot in Australian art, we don't know what to do with them," said Lock. "Frankly, it's time to change, and show the power of this work." While Australia's state galleries regularly loan works, they do not often collaborate on the design and concept of a show. But when AGNSW and AGSA realised they were preparing similar exhibitions, they decided to work together. There are Sydney artists such Proctor, Dangar and Cossington Smith, as well as Grace Crowley, while South Australian names include Dorrit Black along with Heysen and Preston. "Maybe it's in the water or something, but it turns out Adelaide has produced a number of very talented modern women artists," said Lock. Dangerously Modern is on at the Art Gallery of South Australia until September 7 and will show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from October 11 until February 2026. Two recently discovered paintings by one of Australia's most significant artists are going on show to the public for the first time. Margaret Preston is best known for her distinctively Australian still lifes and printmaking, but while based in Ireland during World War I, she painted two post-Impressionist views of the coast. The oil paintings were held in a private collection in Britain, and even art scholars specialising in Preston's work were unaware the paintings existed, according to Art Gallery of South Australia curator Tracey Lock. The paintings will finally go on public display as part of Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, currently on at the Art Gallery of South Australia, before opening at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in October. The exhibition is a joint project by both galleries, with art from their collections making up about half the works on show - what's more, the galleries have acquired one of the Preston paintings each. With 50 artists and 220 artworks, Dangerously Modern is billed as the first major exhibition to explore the role of Australian women in modernism internationally. At the turn of the 20th century, waves of women artists left Australia to work overseas, in defiance of social expectations at the time. Not only did these artists contribute to the development of modernism in Europe, they returned home with fresh ideas that helped modernise Australia too. The exhibition title comes from an article by artist Thea Proctor, who returned from London to Sydney in 1921 to find her art described as "dangerously modern". The show also includes work from the likes of Nora Heysen and Grace Cossington Smith, but there are names that are less well known, such as Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Many trailblazing women artists were successful during their lifetimes, only to find themselves written out of art history in the postwar period, said Lock. "Almost overnight - bam! They are erased from the record," she said. Dangerously Modern is no less than an effort to bring these artists back into the historical narrative - and a 65,000-word catalogue with essays from 29 art scholars should help. Lock believes part of the reason women have been left out is that Australian art history (and those writing it) did not value the themes these artists were exploring at the time. Rather than the usual tenets of light, landscape and national identity, women artists such as Anne Dangar were exploring notions of spiritualism, for example. "Our women get lost, they get a bit stuck in some blind spot in Australian art, we don't know what to do with them," said Lock. "Frankly, it's time to change, and show the power of this work." While Australia's state galleries regularly loan works, they do not often collaborate on the design and concept of a show. But when AGNSW and AGSA realised they were preparing similar exhibitions, they decided to work together. There are Sydney artists such Proctor, Dangar and Cossington Smith, as well as Grace Crowley, while South Australian names include Dorrit Black along with Heysen and Preston. "Maybe it's in the water or something, but it turns out Adelaide has produced a number of very talented modern women artists," said Lock. Dangerously Modern is on at the Art Gallery of South Australia until September 7 and will show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from October 11 until February 2026. Two recently discovered paintings by one of Australia's most significant artists are going on show to the public for the first time. Margaret Preston is best known for her distinctively Australian still lifes and printmaking, but while based in Ireland during World War I, she painted two post-Impressionist views of the coast. The oil paintings were held in a private collection in Britain, and even art scholars specialising in Preston's work were unaware the paintings existed, according to Art Gallery of South Australia curator Tracey Lock. The paintings will finally go on public display as part of Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, currently on at the Art Gallery of South Australia, before opening at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in October. The exhibition is a joint project by both galleries, with art from their collections making up about half the works on show - what's more, the galleries have acquired one of the Preston paintings each. With 50 artists and 220 artworks, Dangerously Modern is billed as the first major exhibition to explore the role of Australian women in modernism internationally. At the turn of the 20th century, waves of women artists left Australia to work overseas, in defiance of social expectations at the time. Not only did these artists contribute to the development of modernism in Europe, they returned home with fresh ideas that helped modernise Australia too. The exhibition title comes from an article by artist Thea Proctor, who returned from London to Sydney in 1921 to find her art described as "dangerously modern". The show also includes work from the likes of Nora Heysen and Grace Cossington Smith, but there are names that are less well known, such as Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Many trailblazing women artists were successful during their lifetimes, only to find themselves written out of art history in the postwar period, said Lock. "Almost overnight - bam! They are erased from the record," she said. Dangerously Modern is no less than an effort to bring these artists back into the historical narrative - and a 65,000-word catalogue with essays from 29 art scholars should help. Lock believes part of the reason women have been left out is that Australian art history (and those writing it) did not value the themes these artists were exploring at the time. Rather than the usual tenets of light, landscape and national identity, women artists such as Anne Dangar were exploring notions of spiritualism, for example. "Our women get lost, they get a bit stuck in some blind spot in Australian art, we don't know what to do with them," said Lock. "Frankly, it's time to change, and show the power of this work." While Australia's state galleries regularly loan works, they do not often collaborate on the design and concept of a show. But when AGNSW and AGSA realised they were preparing similar exhibitions, they decided to work together. There are Sydney artists such Proctor, Dangar and Cossington Smith, as well as Grace Crowley, while South Australian names include Dorrit Black along with Heysen and Preston. "Maybe it's in the water or something, but it turns out Adelaide has produced a number of very talented modern women artists," said Lock. Dangerously Modern is on at the Art Gallery of South Australia until September 7 and will show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from October 11 until February 2026.
Perth Now
27-05-2025
- Perth Now
Never-before-seen Margaret Preston artworks go on show
Two recently discovered paintings by one of Australia's most significant artists are going on show to the public for the first time. Margaret Preston is best known for her distinctively Australian still lifes and printmaking, but while based in Ireland during World War I, she painted two post-Impressionist views of the coast. The oil paintings were held in a private collection in Britain, and even art scholars specialising in Preston's work were unaware the paintings existed, according to Art Gallery of South Australia curator Tracey Lock. The paintings will finally go on public display as part of Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, currently on at the Art Gallery of South Australia, before opening at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in October. The exhibition is a joint project by both galleries, with art from their collections making up about half the works on show - what's more, the galleries have acquired one of the Preston paintings each. With 50 artists and 220 artworks, Dangerously Modern is billed as the first major exhibition to explore the role of Australian women in modernism internationally. At the turn of the 20th century, waves of women artists left Australia to work overseas, in defiance of social expectations at the time. Not only did these artists contribute to the development of modernism in Europe, they returned home with fresh ideas that helped modernise Australia too. The exhibition title comes from an article by artist Thea Proctor, who returned from London to Sydney in 1921 to find her art described as "dangerously modern". The show also includes work from the likes of Nora Heysen and Grace Cossington Smith, but there are names that are less well known, such as Justine Kong Sing and Stella Marks. Many trailblazing women artists were successful during their lifetimes, only to find themselves written out of art history in the postwar period, said Lock. "Almost overnight - bam! They are erased from the record," she said. Dangerously Modern is no less than an effort to bring these artists back into the historical narrative - and a 65,000-word catalogue with essays from 29 art scholars should help. Lock believes part of the reason women have been left out is that Australian art history (and those writing it) did not value the themes these artists were exploring at the time. Rather than the usual tenets of light, landscape and national identity, women artists such as Anne Dangar were exploring notions of spiritualism, for example. "Our women get lost, they get a bit stuck in some blind spot in Australian art, we don't know what to do with them," said Lock. "Frankly, it's time to change, and show the power of this work." While Australia's state galleries regularly loan works, they do not often collaborate on the design and concept of a show. But when AGNSW and AGSA realised they were preparing similar exhibitions, they decided to work together. There are Sydney artists such Proctor, Dangar and Cossington Smith, as well as Grace Crowley, while South Australian names include Dorrit Black along with Heysen and Preston. "Maybe it's in the water or something, but it turns out Adelaide has produced a number of very talented modern women artists," said Lock. Dangerously Modern is on at the Art Gallery of South Australia until September 7 and will show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from October 11 until February 2026.
