Art and history enthusiasts will have the opportunity to study landmark Australian artworks in depth in the National Gallery of Victoria’s short course for adults, Illuminating Australian Art. Presented in collaboration with Deakin University, the course explores movements from modernism onwards through artworks in the NGV’s Australian collection and concurrent exhibitions Brave New World: Australia 1930s, Every Brilliant Eye: Australian Art of the 1990s, and contemporary Indigenous art exhibition Past Legacy: Present Tense.
Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘Illuminating Australian Art will be an immersive offering for adults, taking the dual approach of examining how artists make art, and also how viewers approach and interpret it.’
Each week the program will begin with a lecture or talks exploring a key theme or idea, followed by floortalks in the gallery spaces. Presenters will include NGV educators and exhibition curators; artists Patricia Piccininni and Kerrie Poliness; artists and Deakin University lecturers Patrick Pound, Annika Koops and Linda Tegg; artist and Head of Art and Performance at Deakin University David Cross; and artist and Deakin University curator James Lynch.
The opening session, ‘Becoming Modern’, will explore the artistic concerns and developments of the 1930s Australian art world as illustrated in the exhibition Brave New World: Australia 1930s. ‘The Body and Other Materials’ in week two will look at interactions between art, the human body and the natural environment, highlighting the works of artists such as Patricia Piccininni and Fiona Hall.
Week three will go ‘Beyond Modernism’ with an exploration of the postmodern themes of Every Brilliant Eye: Australian Art of the 1990s. The final week will offer ‘Perspectives on Indigenous Art’ as revealed in Past Legacy: Present Tense.
Illuminating Australian Art
NGV Australia
Sundays, 17 September – 8 October 2017
1pm – 3.30pm, including a 20-minute break