Once a prominent colonial Queensland artist, Anthony Alder (27 December 1838–1915) and his works had all but vanished from public memory until, in 2011, his descendants’ estate was offered to the State Library of Queensland. Here, we reintroduce you to one of his works Heron’s home 1895 (illustrated). ‘Heron’s home’ | Before Conservation Art history…
Continue reading » “Anthony Alder’s skill is depicting natural history subjects”
Despite their enduring popularity since the 1960’s, artists’ books remain an elusive concept requiring some disambiguation. As Lucy Lippard, American writer and longtime champion of the artist’s book, notes, artists’ artists’ books are not books about art or on artists, but books as art1. Artists’ books can be read as conceptual artworks, with the book…
Continue reading » “Art to be h(e)ld: The allure of the artists’ book”
In 1914, Melbourne-born artist Charles H Lancaster (1886–1959) moved to Brisbane to manage the stained-glass department at RS Exton and Co., where William Bustard (1894-1973) was subsequently appointed as chief designer. Brisbane’s ensuing building boom inspired both Lancaster and Bustard to make paintings of the dynamic civic projects developing around them, and they became active…
Continue reading » “Go back in time to a corner of Brisbane”
In 1974, Australian artist Janet Dawson moved from Sydney to Binalong in regional New South Wales. Inspired by her new rural surroundings, she began to embrace more flowing forms, shifting her focus away from the hard-edge painting that she was known for in the 1960s. Describing this transition, Dawson said, ‘In the 60s I accepted…
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (24 November 1864-1901) moved to Paris in 1882 and was instantly drawn to the city’s demi-monde — the entertainers and sex workers of Montmartre; the cafes, concerts and circuses; and the racetrack. He found his subjects in the fleeting crowds and urban spectacle of Paris. Already passionately fond of drawing, Toulouse-Lautrec was an astute…
Continue reading » “Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: An astute observer of life”
James Gleeson (21 November 1915–2008) was one of Australia’s most recognised and celebrated Surrealists, particularly influenced by the works of Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, and Rene Magritte. He began his career in the 1930s, establishing himself as both a painter and a poet. By the mid-1970s, he found less time to paint due to his…
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.