Guest curated by the distinguished former director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Edmund Capon AM, OBE, The Triumph of Modernism spans 60 years of Australian Art and features over 60 iconic works by 26 artists who have shaped the development of modern art in Australia.
Commissioned by Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre in New South Wales, The Triumph of Modernism in the Art of Australia presents a compelling view of the emergence of Australian modernism, with works dating from 1935 through to 2012.
Artists featured in the exhibition include Howard Arkley, George Baldessin, Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, John Brack, William Delafield Cook, William Dobell, Russell Drysdale, Ian Fairweather, Joy Hester, Dale Hickey, Roger Kemp, Joanna Lamb, Godfrey Miller, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, John Perceval, Jeffrey Smart, Tim Storrier, Edwin Tanner, Imants Tillers, Aida Tomescu, Tony Tuckson, Brett Whiteley, Fred Williams and William Wright.
Curator, Edmund Capon, describes The Triumph of Modernism as “a rich and representative display of the story of modern Australia, with a particular and deliberate emphasis on Australian identity. It details the development of a new identity in Australian art with artists such as Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Russell Drysdale, John Brack, John Perceval and Charles Blackman.”
“Later years see the continuing development of modern art in the works of Fred Williams and John Olsen, and in more recent times in contemporary art by artists Imants Tillers, Howard Arkley and Aida Tomescu. My objective here has been to illustrate two themes; firstly the triumph of modernism in Australian art and, secondly, the particular qualities and strengths of the TarraWarra and Besen collections.”
“The Triumph of Modernism displays the most significant works in the Museum’s collection, many of which have been donated by our founding patrons, Eva Besen AO and Marc Besen AC,” says Victoria Lynn, Director of TarraWarra Museum of Art.
“It continues the Museum’s aim to generate exhibitions based on our collection, from diverse points of view. Edmund Capon’s inclusion of contemporary artists means that we see the important history of Australian modernism through the filter of the present.”
The Triumph of Modernism in the Art of Australia
TarraWarra Museum of Art, 311 Healesville-Yarra Glen Road, Healesville
Exhibition: 20 June – 16 August 2015
Entry fees apply
For more information, visit: www.twma.com.au for details.
Image: John Olsen, Salute to Cerberus 1965. oil on plywood, 185 x 244.5 cm. TarraWarra Museum of Art collection. Gift of Eva Besen AO and Marc Besen AO 2001.