Watters Gallery: Tony Tuckson 1921-1973, Figurative Paintings and Preoccupations
Thursday, November 15th, 2018 Art Column,It was a typically understated opening night at Watters Gallery last week for Tony Tuckson 1921-1973, Figurative Paintings and Preoccupations. If the atmosphere was a little sombre it was because this was the last hurrah for a Sydney institution and icon. After 54 years Watters is closing, and none of the visitors on that final […]
Robert Klippel – Annette Larkin Fine Art, Sydney
Saturday, November 10th, 2018 Good Weekend Art Column,Artist: Robert Klippel Lived: Birchgrove, Sydney Age:1920-2001 Represented by:Annette Larkin Fine Art, Paddington, Sydney (no Melbourne representation) His thing. Miniature abstract sculptures and works on paper from the 1980s & 1990s. Our take.Bob Klippel is widely believed to be Australia’s foremost sculptor. A disciple of Modernism, the bulk of Klippel’s work is completely abstract, yet he […]
Newsletter 260
Saturday, November 10th, 2018 Art Essays, Newsletter,First a bit of housekeeping. I’ve had it pointed out that many people are getting notices saying “this site may be hacked”, when accessing the home page. The site is not hacked (at present!) so don’t be put off by these warnings. There are also new hiccups that are interfering with access, so if you can’t […]
Suspiria
Thursday, November 8th, 2018 Film Reviews,Most remakes leave one pondering the wisdom of Oscar Wilde’s line: “each man kills the thing he loves.” If a filmmaker feels so attached to a movie that he or she wants to make it again, surely that remake should be an insightful re-imagining of the original. I don’t need to stress how rarely this […]
Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage
Thursday, November 8th, 2018 Art Column,Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage is the offspring of Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection, held at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris at the end of 2016. Having seen that exhibition, which was one of the great experiences of decades spent in art museums, it’s hard to get too excited about […]
Kristin Headlam – Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne
Saturday, November 3rd, 2018 Good Weekend Art Column,Artist: Kristin Headlam Lives: East Brunswick, Melbourne, NSW Age:65 Represented by:Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne (no Sydney representation) Her thing. A suite of 64 etchings in response to an epic poem. Our take.Kristin Headlam’s etchings are the fruit of an unusual collaboration. From 1988 to 2005, her partner, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, was engaged in the composition of an […]
Newsletter 259
Saturday, November 3rd, 2018 Art Essays, Newsletter,This weekend I’m writing about Sculpture by the Sea, which is coming to a close at Bondi. This annual event has become a de facto arts festival in Sydney, attracting the kind of audiences that most art museums can only fantasise about. It’s never a perfect show – some years a little stronger, others a […]
Sculpture by the Sea 2018
Friday, November 2nd, 2018 Art Column,This weekend is the last chance to catch Sculpture by the Sea, which has become one of the annual rituals of life in Sydney. Every October or November we trek dutifully from Bondi to Tamarama (and usually back again), with the devotion of pilgrims visiting a holy shrine with a full range of relics on […]
Bohemian Rhapsody
Friday, November 2nd, 2018 Film Reviews,When a film spends eight years in production, from first announcement to opening night, it doesn’t augur well, epecially if that same film changes directors when two-thirds complete. After such a painful birth perhaps we should be pleased Bohemian Rhapsody made it to the cinema at all. Dare we hope that it’s any good? Bryan […]
Newsletter 258
Saturday, October 27th, 2018 Art Essays, Newsletter,Nick Serota was in Sydney this week, courtesy of John Kaldor, to deliver an address on art education. The former director of the Tate galleries, now head of the Arts Council, is an object lesson in leanness and austerity. There is an absolute focus with everything he says and does, with no wastage. One would […]
