The summer holidays may be almost over, but luckily, summer is not. We enjoyed the break to visit Canberra and its wonderful art and cultural offerings. One of the highlights were our visits to the National Gallery of Australia.
You may have heard of the commission for the NGA’s 40th anniversary: Lindy Lee’s massive sculpture “Ouroboros”, now in prime position in front of the NGA.
Its price of $14 million was widely reported and commented on. However, it is an amazing work of art and a wonderful introduction to our National Gallery and its serene sculpture garden.
At 4 metres high and weighing 13 tonnes, it was a mammoth task to transport the sculpture from the foundry in Brisbane to Canberra. You can watch the video on youtube.
The other reason to visit the NGA now is the double exhibition of the luminous paintings of Ethel Carrick and Anne Dangar’s cubist ceramics, making it a trifecta of women artists past and present.
It was a pure joy to see so many of Carrick’s light-filled paintings of the South of France and Australia. And we were extremely happy to encounter the most famous painting of Manly, “Christmas Day on Manly Beach”, also known as “Manly Beach – Summer is here”. This painting is probably the most prized holding in the Manly Art Gallery and Museum, and rightly so.
This exhibition from the “Know my Name” series at the NGA is on until 27 April 2025 and more than worth the trip to Canberra.
And no visit to the NGA would be complete without going to meet some international friends. One of our favourites is Joan Miro’s “Paysage” (Landscape), 1927. This deceptively simple image brings you more joy the longer you look at it, and it is on permanent display in Gallery 14.
This painting was purchased in 1983 through Galerie Ernst Beyeler in Basel, which was one of the most renowned commercial galleries in Switzerland, with Ernst Beyeler the founder of Art Basel, the world’s premier art fair, and the Fondation Beyeler, one of the best private collections you’ll ever encounter (notably in a Renzo Piano-designed building).
Now that we are back in the office, we look forward to going on exciting journeys with our clients – everything from art valuations to selling artworks and assisting in building your art collection.
Find out more on our services pages, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us with any art-related questions.