Tag: Art History

Conference and Public Lecture | A Baroque Bishop in Colonial Australia | University of Melbourne

by  • 

A Baroque Bishop in Colonial Australia: The cultural patronage of Bishop James Goold (1812-1886). This international symposium (15 to 16 February 2018, with keynote opening evening on 14 February) examines the patronage of Melbourne’s first Catholic Bishop, James Goold and his contribution to the cultural life of colonial Melbourne, especially through his art collection, library and patronage of architecture. The conference will be opened with a keynote public lecture  Image and Imagination, The Pictorial Presence of Heavenly Grace in Baroque Painting by Professor Dr Klaus Krüger, Professor of Art History, Freie Universität Berlin Keynote Lecture: 14th February 5:30-7:30pm at the University of Melbourne, Elisabeth Murdoc Theatre. Registrations here Symposium 15-16th February, 9am onwards at The Cardinal Knox Centre, St Patricks Cathedral; & Elisabeth Murdoch Theatre A, University of Melbourne, Parkville. Registrations here Download the Symposium Program here. About the Symposium…

Read more →

Call for Participation | Site and Space in Southeast Asia

by  • 

The organisers of Site and Space in Southeast Asia seek applications for participation in a two-year funded research opportunity exploring the art, architecture, and landscape of Southeast Asia. Site and Space in Southeast Asia explores the intersections of urban space, art and culture in three cities—Yangon, Penang, and Huế—through collaborative, site-based research. With major funding from the Getty Foundation and partners from within and beyond the region, Site and Space in Southeast Asia seeks to support innovative research in the art and architectural histories of the region, foster professional networks among early career scholars, and expand engagement with an ever more global field. The concept of site offers a rich and multivalent point of entry for constructing connected histories of art, architecture, and cultural production. Engaging with cities as sites that generate cultural narratives, Site and Space in Southeast Asia will explore spaces of memory, interaction, and production…

Read more →

Lecture | James Elkins – Limits of the Criticism of Writing in the Humanities | University of Melbourne

by  • 

Ever since new criticism, literary study has been developing ideas of close reading. Since the inception of poststructuralism there has been wide acknowledgment of the constructed nature of the text. In the last 15 years there have been even more models for understanding texts, including ‘distance reading’ and ‘surface reading’. Given that amazing richness of interpretive possibilities, it is strange that the humanities continue to teach writing on a rudimentary level, stressing clarity, concision, and organisation – basic pedagogy that was already out of date 100 years ago. This talk is an informal survey of the absence of the tools of literary theory and rhetoric in fields such as sociology, anthropology and art history, with special reference to examples such as Rosalind Krauss, Alex Nemerov, T.J. Clark, Stephen Greenblatt, Steven Pinker and Saul Kripke. James Elkins’ lecture is coordinated in…

Read more →

Lecture | ‘Re-visiting Peter Lely’: a Dutch painter in seventeenth-century London – Diana Dethloff | University of Melbourne

by  • 
Peter Lely's Portrait of Sir John Rous

The Dutch-born artist Peter Lely was an important figure in seventeenth-century British portrait painting. His position as Principal Painter at the court of Charles II, and his portraits of royal mistresses and privileged courtiers have, for many, come to define the Restoration period, as well as earning Lely the reputation of being nothing more than a fashionable face painter. This lecture aims to present a more balanced assessment of an artist who enjoyed a working life of almost forty years, only half of which were as royal painter, and examines Lely’s work during the earlier periods of English civil war and Commonwealth government, in addition to that for the Restoration Court. As well as arguing for a more balanced view of this interesting and prolific artist, this discussion will provide a useful context for the National Gallery of Victoria’s own Lely portrait…

Read more →

Art and Music Lecture Series | University of Tasmania | Professor Antonio Baldassarre

by  • 

UPDATE from the Uniersity of Tasmania “We wish to advise that due to circumstances beyond our control, Prof. Antonio Baldassarre is unable to join us to present his scheduled public lectures at the University of Tasmania. We are currently in negotiations with Prof. Baldassarre for the public lectures to be presented at a later date. We will advise details once known.” The University of Tasmania Conservatorium of Music, in association with the Tasmanian Chapter of the Musicological Society of Australia, presents a series of free lectures by visiting scholar Professor Antonio Baldassarre exploring the interconnections between art and music from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Antonio Baldassarre is Professor and Head of Research and Development of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, School of Music, and is appointed Guest Professor at the Facultad de Música of the Universidad…

Read more →

Registration Open: Conference | Human Kind: Transforming Identity in British and Australian Portraits 1700-1914 | Melbourne September 8-11 2016

by  • 
Joseph Wright of Derby Self-portrait 1765-68 Oil on canvas National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Alina Cade in memory of her husband Joseph Wright Cade, 2009

Registration is now open for Human Kind: Transforming Identity in British and Australian Portraits 1700-1914, presented by the University of Melbourne and the National Gallery of Victoria. This international conference will run from September 8 to 11 and will focus on British and Australian portraits between 1700 and 1914. Inspired by the outstanding collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, this interdisciplinary conference will be the largest gathering of international and Australian scholars to focus on portraits. It will provide a unique opportunity to explore both British and Australian portraits through a dynamic interchange between academics and curators. The keynote speakers are: David Solkin, Courtauld Institute of Art, London | Martin Myrone, Tate Britain, London | Kate Retford, Birkbeck, University of London | David Hansen, Australian National University, Canberra | Anna Gray, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. See the website for full abstracts for the keynote lectures. The full…

Read more →

Conference | Human Kind: Transforming Identity in British and Australian Portraits 1700-1914 | Melbourne September 8-11 2016

by  • 
Joseph Wright of Derby Self-portrait 1765-68 Oil on canvas National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Alina Cade in memory of her husband Joseph Wright Cade, 2009

The University of Melbourne and National Gallery of Victoria present Human Kind: Transforming Identity in British and Australian Portraits 1700-1914 . This international conference will run from September 8-11, 2016 and focus on British and Australian portraits between 1700 and 1914. Inspired by the outstanding collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, this interdisciplinary conference will be the largest gathering of international and Australian scholars to focus on portraits. It will provide a unique opportunity to explore both British and Australian portraits through a dynamic interchange between academics and curators. The conference will focus on British or Australian portraits both as separate fields and as overlapping or comparative studies. The portraits under discussion derive from a rich variety of international collections, with a particular focus on the portraits of the National Gallery of Victoria. The conference aims to be both informed and provocative and…

Read more →

Lecture and Symposium | New Perspectives on Italian and Australian Art History | University of Melbourne

by  • 
Photo of Gerard Vaughan

A symposium on new perspectives on Italian and Australian Art History at the University next week, with a keynote by National Gallery of Australia Director Dr Gerard Vaughan. Full program for symposium is now available on the website (pdf link). Changing the National Gallery of Australia: re-thinking the installations | Dr Gerard Vaughan In late 2015, the Director of the National Gallery of Australia, Dr Gerard Vaughan announced: ‘We have commenced an ambitious project to transform the experience at the NGA. Every time you visit the Gallery there will be new discoveries as we constantly revitalise the galleries dedicated to the permanent collection.’ In this lecture, Dr Vaughan will provide a detailed account of the new rehang, which has included the relocation of the entire Australian collection downstairs. International art, including Jackson Pollock’s famous Blue Poles (1952), has now moved…

Read more →

Recent News and Writing on Art History | 22nd January 2016

by  • 

A round-up of recent stories from the world of art, museums and art history. A story from Tim Walsh in Apollo that asks whether Australia’s ‘coup culture’ in politics is hurting the arts. “In the space of five years, Australia has seen five prime ministers attempt to take the reins of an increasingly erratic and jittery federal parliament. In tandem, Australia’s art world keenly felt each twist and turn; moments of optimism were eclipsed by fear and doubt with the election of the right wing conservative government led by Tony Abbott in September 2013.” A report on Enfilade that the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library has catalogued, re-catalogued, and made available online 60,000 objects in their collection. While the Yale Center for British Art has just released more than 22,000 additional high-resolution images through its online collection (available here). To date, the Center has made…

Read more →

Lecture | The Artist as Collector: Sir Joshua Reynolds and his Collection of Art | Donato Esposito

by  • 

Dr Donato Esposito will present a lecture on Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), the first and most famous President of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, focussing upon his activities as a collector of art. Dr Donato Esposito was a curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, London (1999-2004). He co-curated the exhibition “Sir Joshua Reynolds: the acquisition of genius” at Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery in 2009. He was recently an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. He is currently working on a monograph on Reynolds as an art collector. Date: Wednesday 29th July, 6:30pm Venue: theatre D, Old Arts Building, University of Melbourne Parkville Website: https://events.unimelb.edu.au/events/5480-the-artist-as-collector-sir-joshua-reynolds-and-his-collection All Welcome. Free to attend.  

Read more →

Symposium | The Legacy of Hugh Ramsay | National Gallery of Australia

by  • 

Hugh Ramsay’s life was short but his impact endures. In celebration of the endowment of a chair in Australian art history at the University of Melbourne in his name, by his great niece Patricia Fullerton, the Australian Institute of Art History together with the National Gallery of Australia present this one day symposium reassessing his legacies. Date: Monday 30th March 2015, 9:00am – 5.00 pm Venue: James O Fairfax Theatre Free to attend but bookings are essential. Register here. Program 9.45 – 11.00am SESSION ONE Hugh Ramsay and philanthropy Gerard Vaughan, Director, National Gallery of Australia The life of Hugh Ramsay Patricia Fullerton  Hugh Ramsay in an Australian Context Mary Eagle 11.30am – 12.30pm SESSION TWO Hugh Ramsay and George Lambert Anna Gray The portraiture of Hugh Ramsay Angus Trumble 2.00 – 3.00pm SESSION THREE Conservation of Ramsay’s paintings at the NGV Michael Varcoe-Cocks Ramsay’s paintings…

Read more →

News | New Endowed Chair in Australian Art History for the University of Melbourne

by  • 

Today the University of Melbourne announced a new fully endowed Chair in Art History at the University of Melbourne, to be named in honour of the Australia artist Hugh Ramsay. This, alongside the news that the university has also begun the process to recruit a new Herald Chair of Fine Arts, is great news for the Art History program at Melbourne, as well as for Art History in Australia more broadly. From the Head of the School of Culture and Communication, Professor Rachel Fensham: The Australian artist Hugh Ramsay (1877-1906) has been memorialized in a major gift to the University’s Art History Program.   Widely acknowledged as one of the most brilliant students ever trained in Victoria – and as an artist whose light shone very brightly at the beginning of the twentieth century – Ramsay was educated in Melbourne, but first made his mark in…

Read more →

News, Writing and Reviews on Art and Art History | March 21st 2014

by  • 

News, Writing and Reviews on Art and Art History Katrina Grant Ron Radford, director of the National Gallery of Australia, has announced his plans to retire. He will step down from the role in September. He has been director since 2005. More here. An article in The Guardian about the work of Heather Dalton from the University of Melbourne that proposes that there is a sulphur-crested cockatoo in Mantegna’s Madonna della Vittoria (1496). I think I am keeping my sceptical hat on for this one – though I am intrigued and would like to read the full research. One commenter on The Guardian seems to have solved it though saying – “All this proves, is that the Italian cockatoo is extinct.” The NGV has announced it will be holding an NGV triennial for contemporary art and design. Tony Ellwood said, “Melbourne…

Read more →

Lecture Series | Views of Ancient Rome at the State Library of Victoria

by  • 

Views of Ancient Rome lecture series In association with ASA Cultural Tours, the State Library of Victoria is holding a lecture series that coincides with the exhibition Rome: Piranesi’s vision. The Ruins and Discoveries of Rome 1500-1700  Prof. Frank Sear illuminates the complex development of Roman architecture, examining the ruins that supplied both inspiration and material for the construction of the papal city. Thursday 27 March, 6-7pm Piranesi and Views of Ancient and Modern Rome  Prof. David Marshall talks about Piranesi and the differing views of ancient and modern Rome. Thursday 10 April, 6-7pm Piranesi, Pirro Ligorio and the Visionary Recreation of Ancient Rome in the Renaissance and Baroque Periods Prof. David Marshall explores the topic of Piranesi, Pirro Ligorio and the visionary recreation of ancient Rome in the Renaissance and baroque periods. Thursday 1 May, 6-7pm Dates: 6-7pm, 27…

Read more →

Lecture | Professor Thomas W. Gaehtgens, Director, The Getty Research Institute | Sydney University

by  • 

Professor Thomas W. Gaehtgens, Director, The Getty Research Institute The Power Institute and Sydney Ideas are proud to present a lecture by internationally respected art scholar and historian, and Director of the Getty Research Institute, Professor Thomas W. Gaehtgens. In his presentation, Professor Gaehtgens will share insights from his seven years at the helm of the Getty Research Institute, one of the world’s most preeminent research centers for arts and culture. In particular, Professor Gaehtgens will discuss the work of the Getty Research Institute with regard to its global commitment to research and scholarly resources. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear Professor Gaehtgens speak, and to learn how a leading institution such as the Getty successfully dedicates itself to advancing further knowledge and understanding within the field of visual arts. The Getty Research Institute is an operating program of…

Read more →