Category: ARTS & CULTURE

Meet Alexander McQueen at NGV International: man behind the Mind, Mythos, Muse

NGV Alexander McQueen announcement 1

From 11 December to 16 April, you’ve got the chance to get more familiar with one of the most significant fashion designers of the late twentieth century, who was lauded for his conceptual and technical virtuosity. McQueen’s critically acclaimed collections synthesised his proficiency in tailoring and dressmaking with encyclopaedic and autobiographical visual references that spanned time, geography, media and technology. Organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse is the first major Australian exhibition to explore the work of this boundary-pushing fashion designer. Showcasing 60 garments and accessories drawn from LACMA’s holdings of important works by McQueen, the Melbourne presentation also features nearly 50 designs by McQueen from the NGV Collection, making this Australian-exclusive presentation especially rich and comprehensive. Offering an unprecedented insight into the mind of this seminal designer, McQueen’s work is presented alongside more than 70 historical artworks including painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts and works on paper from the collections of LACMA and NGV, that reveal the myriad reference points that influenced his designs. The juxtaposition of garments and artworks highlights McQueen’s creative process and capacity for storytelling, as well as offering audiences an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of his artistic legacy and the nature of inspiration. So, now you’re sold, get more info and tickets at the NGV website

What to do this Queen’s Jubilee at the National Gallery London

National Gallery Jubilee

The most incredible time in the history of the UK – well, one of the – is upon us; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee! And if you’re not heading to the Mall for the Trooping The Colour parade, or heading to any of the other celebrations around London and the UK, then maybe a visit to the National Gallery is on the cards. Here’s a taste of what’s on… Fit for a Queen: Symbols and Values of Sovereignty  An innovative virtual exhibition for everyone, anywhere to enjoy online, free. The wonders of digital will bring together a display of 28 National Gallery masterpieces – from Hans Holbein the Younger to Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Gossaert to Anthony van Dyck – curated by Susanna Avery-Quash. The display will explore images of female rulers from different epochs and countries as well as images that relate to some of the attributes most frequently associated with queenship in the past and present. Online visitors can navigate themselves around the virtual gallery, zooming in close to explore the 3D images of the diverse works of art on display. Click on the panel next to the picture to listen to an audio guide for each painting. Fit for a Queen: Symbolism and Values of Queenship will be live from Thursday 2 June 2022. Collections There will be a special Jubilee tour through the Gallery with wall labels, linked to Fit for a Queen: Symbolism and Values of Queenship.  It will also draw attention to important pictures Her Majesty has generously… Read More

Picasso at the National Gallery London: Face to Face

Picasso Woman with a

For the first time ever, a painting by Pablo Picasso ‘Woman with a Book’, 1932 from the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California and the painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, ‘Madame Moitessier’, 1856, which famously inspired it, will be shown side by side at the National Gallery, London as part of a special collaboration between the two museums. After debuts of the sensational and influential work by Artemisia Gentileschi, Picasso’s welcome to the halls of the Gallery comes at only too good a time, after the lockdowns of the world have ended and the doors of all public buildings have been thrown open. This exhibition is an opportunity to explore Picasso’s enduring affinity with Ingres, and his ability to reference or ‘steal’ previous artist’s work which he famously acknowledged when he said: ‘Lesser artists borrow; great artists steal.’* It will provide visitors with a unique opportunity to compare the two works and to engage with these masterpieces in a different way. Exhibition organised by the National Gallery, London and the Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena. Following its display in London, the exhibition will be on view at the Norton Simon Museum of Art 21 October 2022– 30 January 2023. For more info and to arrange a visit, go to the National Gallery website

National Gallery London: get up close with Rafael

Rafael

He may have died over 500 years ago (as of 2020), but Rafael’s work lives on stronger than ever, especially this year at London’s National Gallery, where a new exhibition is on sale and ready to host his fans. The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Raphael celebrates the painter, draughtsman, architect, designer and archaeologist who captured in his art the human, the divine, love, friendship, learning and power. He helped define what the quintessence of beauty and civilisation through some of his most famous works, like Transfiguration, Three Graces and his renowned tenure spent with Pope Julius II in the Vatican. His career spanned only two decades, but in it he helped to shape the course of Western culture like few artists before or since. The National Gallery exhibition will examine his work while lifting the veil on his time spent as an architect, archaeologist and poet, with so much more. Find out more about the artist and book your visit at the National Gallery website The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Raphael 9 April – 31 July 2022First Floor Galleries, Rooms 1-8Admission charge. Members free.

WHO ARE YOU? Find out at the NGV with Australian Portraiture

Black person car dog

In an exhibition that poses the question “what is portraiture?”, you can now take a journey into the Australian face at the National Gallery of Victoria. From March to August this year, the NGV will feature more than two-hundred works by Australian artists including Patricia Piccinini, Atong Atem, Howard Arkley, Vincent Namatjira and Tracey Moffatt, and featuring sitters including Cate Blanchett, Albert Namatjira, Queen Elizabeth II, Eddie Mabo and David Gulpilil all to explore our inner worlds and outer selves, as well as issues of sociability, intimacy, isolation, celebrity and ordinariness. The whole exhibition is about revealing the rich artistic synergies and contrasts between the two institutions’ collections, this co-curated exhibition considers portraiture in Australia across time and media, as well as the role of the portraiture genre in the development of a sense of Australian national identity. What does that mean for you? To discover it and more, head to the NGV website

What to see at the NGV – 5 excellent exhibitions to not miss

NGV Gallery Melbourne

This year, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has a quality spread of art and culture to keep you occupied all autumn-winter long. Comprising the autumn-winter 2022 program, the NGV will kick things off with an homage to Picasso before embarking on the rest. Scroll down for more… The Picasso Century This exhibition opens June 10 at NGV International. The Picasso Century charts the extraordinary career of Pablo Picasso in dialogue with the many artists, poets and intellectuals with whom he intercepted and interacted throughout the 20th century, including Guillaume Apollinaire, Georges Braque, Salvador Dalí, Alberto Giacometti, Françoise Gilot, Valentine Hugo, Marie Laurencin, Dora Maar, André Masson, Henri Matisse, Dorothea Tanning and Gertrude Stein. Get tickets here WHO ARE YOU: Australian Portraiture  This exhibition opens on 25 March and will unite collections of the NGV and the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, for the very first time. Featuring more than 200 works by the likes of Patricia Piccinini, Howard Arkley, Vincent Namatjira and more, and depicting sitters such as Cate Blanchett, Queen Elizabeth II and Eddie Mabo, this exhibition will be one of the largest presentations of portraiture ever mounted in Australia. Get tickets here Queer: Stories from the NGV Collection  Because equality is key! This exhibition is a celebration of the queer and LGBTIQA+ stories embedded in the NGV Collection – and is one of the most historically expansive exhibitions ever dedicated to this diverse subject opening March 10. Get tickets here Melbourne Design Week 2022  Australia’s leading annual international design event, returns for its sixth edition from 17–27 March 2022, a key highlight this… Read More

VIVID Sydney 2022 – what to expect

Vivid Sydney Harbour light show

After the darkness of the past few years, VIVID, the festival of light, is back with a bang this 2022 in Sydney. From Friday 27 May to Saturday 18 June, there’ll be more than 200 events celebrating the essence of Sydney’s soul including its diversity, beauty, resilience, First Nations culture and vibrant creative community. Staged over 23 nights, the festival will deliver mesmerising art displays, 3D light projections, uplifting live music performances and deep-dive discussions from the world’s brightest minds. Plus, in a festival first, the renowned Light Walk will stretch continuously for 8km, linking the Sydney Opera House to Central Station, with more than 200 LED sculptural birds guiding the way as part of the Future Natives installation. Here are some favourites to look forward to: THE VIVID SYDNEY DINNER Great food, talks, music, wine and light collide at the very first Vivid Sydney Dinner – a celebration of all things Sydney. Join host Justine Clarke at Merivale’s Ivy Ballroom, which will be completely transformed into an effervescent feast for the senses on Saturday 4 June, featuring “love letters to Sydney” from renowned artist Ken Done and journalist/author Julia Baird.  VIVID LIGHT Visitors will connect with powerful stories of Sydney’s soul after dark, as more than 50 light installations and projection artworks designed to explore and define the city’s character come to life. VIVID IDEAS Vivid Ideas brings together the world’s brightest minds and fearless global storytellers, exploring the forces that shape not only Sydney’s unique society, but all great cities around the world. With more than 85 intriguing talks and workshops on offer, Vivid Ideas… Read More

The 23rd Biennale of Sydney, rivus, opens to the public this weekend

Rivus Biennale Sydney art

Attention all art lovers: The 23rd Biennale of Sydney opens to the public this weekend. Over 330 artworks by over 80 participants and 400 events will be presented across the city from 12 March to 13 June 2022. Rivus means ‘stream’ in Latin, so this year’s theme is centred around new work and commissions responding to water ecology and relationships with the natural world. Audiences will experience large-scale immersive installations, site specific projects and living works by international participants including Kiki Smith,Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, John Gerrard, Jumana Emil Abboud and Ackroyd & Harvey alongsideAustralian participants such as Cave Urban, Badger Bates, Clare Milledge, Julie Gough and D Harding. The list of participants extends beyond the realm of the visual arts and includes bodies of water and their custodians around the world including Australia, Bangladesh and Ecuador.   The largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the Biennale of Sydney will be open to the publicfrom 12 March to 13 June 2022 at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Barangaroo including The Cutaway, Circular Quay, Arts and Cultural Exchange, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Art School in partnership with Artspace and Pier 2/3 at Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. For more, head to the Biennale website

See Queen Victoria’s collection Japanese screen paintings on display in London

Queen Victoria Japanese silk screen print curators

Her Majesty Queen Victoria received them from the Japanese Shogun (military leader) in 1860. And since then, they went unseen. Thought not to have survived to the present day, they’ve been rediscovered in the Royal Collection and this year in 2022, the screens will go on public display next month for the first time since they arrived at the British Court 162 years ago. They will form part of Japan: Courts and Culture, the first exhibition to bring together the Royal Collection’s spectacular holdings of Japanese works of art, opening at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace on Friday, 8 April. What’s their story? Well, the screen paintings, which depict the changing seasons in exquisite detail, formed part of the first diplomatic gift between Japan and Britain in almost 250 years. They were sent by Sh?gun Tokugawa Iemochi shortly after Japan’s dramatic re-opening to the West, following more than two centuries of deliberate isolation. After some extensive conservation work following the discovery, there’s been fascinating detail revealed about the screens’ history, including how they were hastily produced after a dramatic fire in Tokyo destroyed the original versions, and how wear and tear was patched up at Windsor Castle in the 19th century using fragments of Victorian railway timetables. But that’s just the beginning! For the whole story and to see them for yourself, head to the Royal Collection Trust’s website and book a ticket now Japan: Courts and Culture is at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, 8 April 2022 – 26 February 2023

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s got a surprise for ‘Mozart’s Clarinet’

Handels Messiah Brandenburg Orchestra THE F 2

The Brandenburg Orchestra’s is Australia’s answer to baroque music. And if you haven’t heard of them before or been to a show, then it’s time you know: you’re missing out. This season, they’ve taken on a new soloist for their Mozart series, Craig Hill, who’s got an over forty-three-year history with Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, performing the piece over many decades including twice with the Brandenburg. While the wistful Adagio is familiar to many from its use in numerous well-known film scores such as Out of Africa and The King’s Speech, Hill will perform on the traditional period basset clarinet in a rare chance for audiences to hear the work on the instrument it was originally intended and from one of the country’s leading clarinetists. The performance is an homage to the composer (Mozart) as it was his last piece before his untimely death at age 35. Before you go to the Brandenburg Orchestra website to buy tickets, here are the dates to plan: DATES City Recital Hall, Sydney Thu, 28 April, 7:00 PM?  Fri, 29 April, 7:00 PM  Sat, 30 April, 7:00PM?  Tue, 3 May, 7:00 PM?  Thu, 12 May, 7:00 PM?  Sat, 14 May, 2:00 PM?  Melbourne Recital Centre?  Thu, 5 May, 7:00PM  Sat, 7 May, 7:00 PM?  Sun, 8 May, 5:00 PM?  Riverside Theatres, Parramatta Fri, 13 May, 7:00PM