Category: News

Art and art history related news. Please send news item and media releases to Katrina Grant webmaster@melbourneartnetwork.com.au The decision of what news to publish lies with the editors and their decision is final.

News | Ian McLean appointed to the Hugh Ramsay Chair of Australia Art History

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More big news in art history appointments from the University of Melbourne with Ian McLean announced as the inaugural Hugh Ramsay Chair of Australian Art History, based in the Art History Program at the University of Melbourne.   Ian has published extensively on Australian art and particularly on Indigenous art. His books include Indigenous Archives: The Making and Unmaking of Aboriginal Art, with Darren Jorgensen (2017); Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art(2016); Double Desire: Transculturation and Indigenous art (2014); How Aborigines Invented the Idea of Contemporary Art (2011); White Aborigines Identity Politics in Australian Art (1998); and The Art of Gordon Bennett, with a chapter by Gordon Bennett (1996). He is a superb addition to the Art History Program, to Indigenous Studies, and to our School as a whole.   The Hugh Ramsay Chair of Australian Art History is an endowed Chair, based in…

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News | NGV to receive funding boost in upcoming Victorian Budget

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Martin Foley has announced major funding boost for the National Gallery of Victoria to build on its growth in recent years, saying that ‘Melbourne is renowned as the nation’s arts and cultural capital – and that’s in no small part because of the NGV.’ From the government press release Australia’s most popular gallery – and now one of the world’s most visited – is set to continue its success thanks to a funding boost in the Victorian Budget 2017/18. Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley today announced that the Andrews Labor Government will invest $28.7 million over two years to support the NGV to build on its incredible growth of recent years. Five years ago, NGV hosted 28 exhibitions per year – in 2016 that number rose to 49. This growth has encouraged more visits than ever, rising from just…

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News | Jennifer Milam appointed new Head of the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne

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Jennifer Milam

News from the University of Melbourne that art historian Professor Jennifer Milam has been appointed as the new Head of the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. She will take up the position from 1 January 2018. Jennifer is currently an ARC Future Fellow and Professor of Art History and Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of Sydney. She has published articles on art, gardens and aesthetic ideas during the Enlightenment in journals such as The Art Bulletin, Studies in the History of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, Art History, Burlington Magazine, Eighteenth-Century Studies and Eighteenth-Century Fiction. Her books include studies of Rococo art and architecture, the French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and a co-edited volume on women artists and patrons in eighteenth-century Europe. Her previous roles at the University of Sydney include Chair of Department of Art History and…

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News | TarraWarra Museum of Art appoints Emily Cormack as Curator for Biennial in 2018

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Emily Cormack has been appointed to curate the TarraWarra Museum of Art Biennial 2018 (10 August – 4 November 2018). TarraWarra Director, Victoria Lynn, said the appointment of Cormack as sole curator for the TarraWarra Biennial 2018 was an exciting step for the Museum, and visitors can expect a great show. “Emily curated Primavera at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney last year to wide acclaim, and we look forward to her unique vision for the TarraWarra Biennial 2018,” Ms Lynn said. Based in Melbourne, Cormack has extensive experience in both curating and managing contemporary art exhibitions.  She has previously curated major exhibitions for Gertrude Contemporary; Warrnambool Art Gallery; Latrobe Regional Gallery, Morwell;  Benalla Art Gallery; and the Adam Art Gallery, Wellington, and co-curated shows for Artsonje Center Seoul, St. Paul’s St Gallery, Auckland and National University Museum (NUS),…

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News | Gertrude Contemporary announces move to a new space in Preston South

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Yesterday Gertrude Contemporary announced that it would move to a new space on High Street in Preston South when its current lease ends in June. A few years ago then-director Emma Crimmings flagged that the gallery would be forced to move. Gertrude Contemporary opened in Fitzroy in 1985 as 200 Gertrude, well-before the current gentrification that is opushing up rentals and will see this important site for contemporary art in Melbourne no doubt replaced by more bars, rastaurants and expensive clothing shops.  Despite the announcement back in 2014 that Gertrude would become part of the planned Contemporary arts precinct at the old Collingwood Technical School site, this key space for contemporary art in Melbourne will now move further north to the ‘top end of Thornbury’ and into a purpose-built space. The final exhibition at 200 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, The End…

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News | Denton Corker Marshall wins new SAM architecture competition

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Yesterday the Greater Shepparton City Council announced that Denton Corker Marshall has won the architetural competition to build the new Shepparton Art Museum. From SAM The architectural competition for a new SAM (Shepparton Art Museum) and building jury recommendation was endorsed at the Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday 18 April following a comprehensive design competition spanning several months. The seven member expert jury report noted that the Denton Corker Marshall proposal was unanimously selected as the winning proposal for the Stage 2 Concept Design Competition after a robust and rigorous assessment of the five design concepts against the agreed criteria. The Denton Corker Marshall proposal stood out because it combined a powerful and relevant conceptual idea – well-resolved and compelling in its sculptural expression and detail – with a highly adaptable, functional, safe and efficient solution, according to the report. The…

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News and Exhibition | Sidney Nolan’s man behind Ned Kelly mask revealed | Heide MoMA

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Recent research by Paula Dredge and Kendrah Morgan with assistance from the Australian Synchrotron has revelead a face behind the mask of one of Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly paintings. From April 22 to May 14 Heide will host a virtual reality display that will allow visitors to explore this ‘face behind the mask.’ From Heide Working in collaboration with the scientific research centre Australian Synchrotron, and utilising its state of the art technology, art conservators have imaged pigments buried underneath layers of paint to reveal a face behind the mask of Sidney Nolan’s painting Ned Kelly, “Nobody knows anything about my case but myself” 1945. When examining the painting in 2012, Paula Dredge, Paintings Conservator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, and Kendrah Morgan, Curator at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne noticed brush strokes underneath the…

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News |  Major painting by renowned artist eX de Medici donated to Australian War Memorial

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One of the most significant artwork donations in the Memorial’s history, Cure for pain, by renowned Australian artist eX de Medici, is now on display at the Australian War Memorial. Donated by Erika Krebs-Woodward through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, Cure for pain is a detailed, multi-layered work that reflects the themes of mortality and equality in death throughout a century of Australian military history. At more than four metres long the painting is also the largest work produced by de Medici, who was appointed official war artist to the Solomon Islands in 2009 and is one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Director of the Australian War Memorial Dr Brendan Nelson said the donation added to the Memorial’s world-class art collection, and that the work is an important tool in our evolving understanding of the Australian experience of war.…

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News | NGV announces inaugural NGV triennial to open December 2017

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The NGV has announced the line-up for its inaugural triennial of contemporary art. From the NGV: Featuring the work of 60 artists and designers from 30 countries, the NGV Triennial surveys the world’s best art and design, across cultures, scales, geographies and perspectives. The inaugural NGV Triennial will open in December 2017. It will be a free exhibition and celebration of contemporary art and design practice that traverses all four levels of NGV International, as well as offering a rich array of programs. The NGV Triennial explores cutting edge technologies, architecture, animation, performance, film, painting, drawing, fashion design, tapestry and sculpture. Visitors will have an opportunity to look at the world and its past, present and future through the eyes of some of the most creative minds working today. See the full list of artists here: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/triennial/ The triennial will also…

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News | Judith Neilson creates Chair in Contemporary Art at UNSW

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News from UNSW that founder of the White Rabbit Gallery has donated money to create The Judith Neilson Chair in Contemporary Art, which will focus on contemporary Chinese art and culture. Philanthropist and White Rabbit Gallery founder Judith Neilson AM has made her second major donation to UNSW with the announcement of The Judith Neilson Chair in Contemporary Art. The Professorial Chair will work between UNSW Art & Design and Sydney’s internationally recognised White Rabbit Gallery to lead rigorous scholarly research. White Rabbit Gallery is home to one of the world’s most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art and UNSW Art & Design is ranked in the top 30 art and design schools in the QS World University Rankings. With privileged access to the White Rabbit collection, The Judith Neilson Chair in Contemporary Art will develop new knowledge and a…

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News | Dr Natasha Cica appointed as new Director and CEO of Heide MoMA

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Photo of Dr Natasha Cica

The Board of Directors at Heide Museum of Modern Art (Heide) have announced that will Dr Natasha Cica will take the helm at Heide as the new Director and CEO of the museum, following the departure of Kristy Grant last year. Dr Cica does not come directly from an art curatorial background and the press release describes her as a ‘thought leader’ (always a rather meaningless term in my opinion). Her educational background is more legal and policy focused than arts or curatorial (she is an adjunct professor in the ANU College of Law), but she certainly has a strong background in the cultural sector in Australia and internationally. Is this part of a shift away from appointments art gallery directors exclusively from the ranks of senior curators? For instance the recent-ish appointments at the Monash Gallery of Art of Kallie Blauhorn in…

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Appointment | Australian Centre for Photography appoints Cherie McNair as Director

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The Australian Centre for Photography has announced Cherie McNair as their new director. From ACP: The Australian Centre for Photography (ACP) today announced the appointment of respected arts professional Cherie McNair as permanent Director. Ms McNair commences in early February 2017, taking over from Catherine Baldwin who has acted as Interim Director since July 2015. Cherie McNair joins ACP from the Queensland Museum Network where she holds the role of Head of Exhibitions and Creative Services, with previous roles including Head of Exhibitions and Design, National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh and Project Manager, Exhibitions, Tate and Victoria and Albert Museum, London and early career at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Commenting on her appointment Cherie McNair said: ‘I am humbled and excited to be joining ACP at this pivotal stage in the organisation’s development. I look forward to working with…

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Request for Information | Heide seeks missing Blackman painting

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Heide Museum of Modern Art is requesting any information or assistance on the whereabouts of Charles Blackman’s Sleeping Schoolgirl 1954 (pictured), for inclusion in an upcoming exhibition that reunites the artist’s celebrated Schoolgirl series for the first time since its creation in the early 1950s. Sleeping Schoolgirl 1954 was sold in the 1960s by Julian Sterling, Melbourne to a British collector, and it subsequently came up at auction at Christies, London on 12 December 2007, listed as ‘the property of a lady’. It was sold at that point and is thought to have returned to Australia, but efforts to find the current owner have been unsuccessful. Charles Blackman’s compelling Schoolgirls series, produced between 1952 and 1955, marked a turning point in the artist’s career, revealing him as a significant painter of modern life in the post-war era. Through his evocative…

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News | New Executive Director at Craft Victoria

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The Chair of Craft Victoria has announce the appointment of Richard Ferguson as the new Executive Director at Craft Victoria.  Richard will be commencing his role in mid-February 2017. From Craft Victoria Richard has been involved in the cultural, heritage and education sectors for more than 30 years in both Australia and England. He is also a craft and arts practitioner. His initial tertiary training was at the National Art School in ceramics.  Later training in visual arts and photography enabled him to undertake original research and Antarctic field work, on five expeditions, on the use of photography on polar expeditions initially based at the Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research at the University of Adelaide. This and both other creative and curatorial projects ultimately gave rise to direct engagement with and entry into management of collections, cultural institutions and philanthropic…

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NGV calls for public help to find art from 1968 exhibition ‘The Field’

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The Field Original Poster

The National Gallery of Victoria is planning to re-stage the 1968 exhibition The Field in 2018 as The Field Revisited and is calling for help finding the final 14 missing works of art. See the NGV Find The Field website for details of the missing works: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/findthefield/ From the NGV The Field is regarded as a landmark exhibition in Australian art history – a radical showcase of 74 abstract and conceptual, colour field, geometric and hard edge artworks. Influenced by the American origins of abstract art, the exhibition opened to much controversy at the NGV in 1968 with its silver foil-covered walls and geometric light fittings, boldly launching the careers of a generation of young Australian artists including Sydney Ball, Peter Booth, Janet Dawson and Robert Jacks. Following a year-long search by the NGV, across Australian and international galleries, collections and auction houses…

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