Australian Art Notes: February 2012

These artnotes appear in edited form In Art Monthly Australia 

Elisabeth Cummings, 'Pilbara Landscape' (detail) 2005, etching ed. 25, 23x29cm. Image courtesy of King Street Gallery on William & the artist.

Droit de suite, a global perspective

Popular with artists but disliked by dealers, Australia’s Resale Royalty Scheme (RRS) has attracted both favourable and adverse comparisons with Europe, where Droit de suite (literally ‘Right to follow’) has been in operation for several years. Increased harmonisation is the goal, and Australian artists will soon be able to claim royalties on eligible resales in EU countries. In the USA only California has RR legislation, currently more often honoured in the breach than in the observance, but this may be about to change. In October a group of prominent artists, including Chuck Close, filed a class action against Christie's and Sotheby's for violating the California Resale Royalty Act. The auction houses have responded with a joint resolution to dismiss the California statute as "unconstitutional". The case continues. Late last year new national legislation (the Equity for Visual Artists Act) was introduced into Congress, and has attracted high profile support from artists.

In the UK, new regulations came into force in January, extending rights to the estates of artists deceased 70 years or less, consistent with Australia and the rest of Europe, and is expected to quadruple payments in coming years. A 2010 report (by the European Art Market Coalition) found that in continental Europe, 74% of all royalties went to artists’ heirs, 20% to collecting agencies and only 6% to living artists, leading to claims the 70-year rule largely benefits the heirs of hugely valuable artists like Picasso, Braque and Matisse. UK royalties range from 4% to 0.25%, depending on the ‘profit’ figure, with a maximum royalty of €12k (payable by the buyer). Damien Hirst has come out in favour, with David Hockney and Anthony Caro signing an opposing petition. Dealers worry that extended rights will further depress a flat UK art market, driving customers offshore to a resurgent Hong Kong, which has no intention of introducing resale royalties.

Back home, the Federal Arts Ministry has removed the irksome requirement for dealers to report non-eligible resales under $1k. Since June 2010 the scheme has paid out more than $500k on over 3000 transactions, with two thirds of royalties going to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. This represents total eligible sales exceeding $10 million, a median sale price around $3k, and an average royalty around $150, with the highest royalty to date being $44k on a sale price of $880k. The 5% royalty (payable by the seller) applies to the second resale (after June 2010) of works by Australian artists, for a period of 70 years after death, and includes ceramics, digital artworks, fine art jewellery, installations, paintings, photographs, prints and tapestries.

www.resaleroyalty.org.au

Headhunters and collectors

With two of Australia’s longest-tenured gallery directors stepping down – Gerard Vaughan (13 years at the NGV) will leave mid-year, and Edmund Capon (33 years at AGNSW) left in December – succession plans have been on everyone’s lips for months. As of mid February, the AGNSW has announced Australian-born Dr Michael Brand as its new director – starting mid year – a surprise to those who had predicted him for the NGV job. Brand was Director of LA's Getty Centre from 205-2010, leaving before his contract ended because of differences with then board president James Woods (who died 6 months later). The Getty has been without a director since then. In another surprising development, the Getty has finally announced its new Director - another Australian, Dr Timothy Potts, current director of Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum, one-time director of the NGV  and, bizarrely, a candidate who had been heavily tipped for Capon's job.

So who will get the NGV position? There was apparently a last-minute bidding war for the 54-year old Michael Brand, who will receive $445k a year, almost double Mr Capon’s $240k, and considerably more than QAG/GoMA director Tony Ellwood’s $385k. Bendigo-born Ellwood, a former NGV deputy director, has all along been persistently mooted as a contender for both positions, despite his having just renewed a 5-year contract, and his winning streak in Brisbane – last year QAG/GoMA led the field with 1.8m visitors, trailed by the NGV with 1.5m and AGNSW with 1.3m. 

At the NGV, Allan Myers will step down as  trustee president in April, to be replaced by Naomi Milgrom. Mr Myers is considered a ‘traditionalist’, whereas Ms Milgrom is a noted ‘contemporary’, who steps down as chair of Melbourne’s ACCA to take up the NGV role.

Back in Sydney, Kevin Sumption has replaced Mary-Louise Williams as the new director of the Australian National Maritime Museum, leading the institution into its 20th anniversary year. Mr Sumption was one of the founding curators of the ANMM when it opened in 1991, and for the past three years has been the Director of Exhibitions & Programmes at the National Maritime Museum & Royal Observatory (UK). Before that he was Associate Director at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, from 2001-2008. Finally, in Adelaide, Christine Morrow has been announced as the incoming director of the Australian Experimental Art Foundation (AEAF).

Art of War

The Australian War Memorial’s latest official war artist, Ben Quilty, has returned from a tour of Afghanistan – the fourth artist so far deployed to that zone of conflict, following Lyndell Brown and Charles Green (2007) and Shaun Gladwell (2009). Quilty was attached to the ADF’s Operation Slipper in Kabul, Kandahar and Tarin Kowt during October last year. He described the trip as “life changing”. “Afghanistan is hauntingly beautiful. The people who took care of me there are an inspiration,” he said on his return. The NSW-based painter will now produce a number of works for the Memorial’s permanent collection. In other news, the AWM’s travelling show Perspectives, featuring John Cattapan (Timor L’este, 2008) and eX de Medici (Solomon Islands, 2009) will tour to Artspace Mackay (until 25 March), QUTAM (21 April – 24 June) and Townsville’s Perc Tucker Museum (6 July – 2 September). At the AWM is Russell Drysdale at war – a small exhibition coinciding with the centenary of the artist’s birth, featuring seldom-seen work, on show until early 2013.

OzCo review

Yet another review was announced in late December – this time of the Australia Council for the Arts, part of the development of a new National Cultural Policy to be finalised this year. Angus James and Gabrielle Trainor will conduct the review, the first since the 1980s, to include OzCo’s links with other arts support agencies.

Touring money

$1.17 million has been allocated to 11 arts organisations under round 37 of the Visions of Australia touring program, and $540k to another 7 organisations under round 9 of the Contemporary Touring Initiative. Big winners include KickArts ($78k) for The Outsider Exhibition; the NGA for Fred Williams ($97k), Stars of the Tokyo Stage ($142k) and Roy Lichtenstein ($176k); the AWM for Perspectives ($129k) and IASKA for spaced: art out of place ($129k). Kultour gets $52k to tour Survivor (Dadang Christanto); Experimenta Media Arts gets $42k for Experimenta Connections, and Artisan – idea: skill: product gets $51k for The Antipodean Steampunk Show.

www.arts.gov.au/regional/visions-of-australia.

Festival fun

The summer/autumn festival season nationwide features some excellent offerings for visual arts fans. MonaFoma (Hobart) included three new commissions – by Australians Daniel Mudie Cunningham and Nell, and Brit Susan Philipsz. Sydney Festival included a major new commission, Travelling Colony by Brook Andrew (Carriageworks) and the third instalment of Edge of Elsewhere (Campbelltown and 4A). Perth Festival features spaced: art out of place (Fremantle Arts Centre until 11 March) and Hijacked (PICA until 8 April). Adelaide Festival (2-18 March) presents its 2012 Biennial of Australian Art: Parallel Collisions (AGSA), the Adelaide International: Restless (Samstag, AEAF, CACSA, FUCAG), and Deadly (Tandanya). Back in WA, FotoFreo (7 March-15 April) presents a wide range of photomedia, including No Worries: Martin Parr, Raghu Rai: My India and FutureGen 2012.

Australian Museum

The National Museum of Australia’s exhibition Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route, a quiet but steady crowd-puller in Canberra last year, has transferred to the AM, Sydney, until 29 April. The exhibition tells the story of the route's impact on Aboriginal people, and the importance of the Country that surrounds it, through the works of senior and emerging artists and the stories of traditional custodians, interpreted through their voices, art and new media. The exhibition is helping the Museum to shake off an (undeserved) image of being mainly focussed on natural history, and is part of a push to attract new and diverse audiences. Tuesday evenings in summer feature the popular Jurassic Lounge (5.30 – 8.30pm, until 3 April) – with themed events, bands, DJs cocktails, and more. www.jurassiclounge.com

Por Antoni

Vale Antoni Tàpies

Antoni Tàpies i Puig, 1st Marquess of Tàpies 

Artist

13 December 1923 – 6 February 2012

 

Le Flâneur blog on Facebook

Le Flâneur Blog now has a facebook page which you can 'like'.  Blog posts will be syndicated there, along with other content, mainly current or upcoming shows and events of note worldwide:

Le Flâneur blog on Facebook

We're also on twitter: @les_flaneurs

Australian Art Notes: December 2011

Left: in our opinion, the the standout Australian show in 2011:
Dinh Q. Lê Erasure (installation view), 2011, single channel video, boat, found photographs, rocks, online archive, dimensions variable
Photo: Aaron de Souza. Courtesy the artist and Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation
--------------
David Corbet's National artnotes appear in edited form in Art Monthly Australia (www.artmonthly.org.au)
_________

Are we there yet? (the year in review)

Well, there goes another one – and has it been a good year for the visual arts, nationally speaking? The answer, as always, is mixed. National Artnotes aims to cover issues of national arts policy and funding, the art market, national institutions and significant regional developments. We also try to view Australian art with an international perspective. We get to see some great art, but in general it is left to others to review and evaluate individual artists and exhibitions.

Export

One of our themes has been presentation of Australian art in an international context, whether at home or abroad, and how our governments, funding bodies and institutions perform. With a small population, we need to grow our markets for art and culture beyond our borders. The primary vehicles for offshore promotion are Ozco and DFAT, which support Australian art through institutional touring shows, along with key events like the Venice Biennale. Apart from Hany Armonious in Venice and Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert (National Museum of China, from the NMA collection) it hasn’t been a big year for touring exhibitions. Australian Cultural Attachés in the world’s capitals continue to lament a diminution of resources for presentation. Ozco supports participation (by artists) in overseas biennales, and attendance (by commercial galleries) at art fairs, while many other quasi-government and University-based grant programs support overseas residencies. The commercial galleries play a major self-funded role, and 2011 has been a growth year for commercial art fairs in our region. We saw a significant Australian presence at Art Stage Singapore, India Art Summit (New Delhi, renamed India Art Fair for 2012), Art Hong Kong (recently acquired by Art Basel), the Auckland Art Fair, and the Korea International Art Fair. Further afield Anna Schwartz showed at the invitation-only Armory Show in New York, and Breenspace at VOLTA.

Import

On the import side there was a steady stream of international semi-blockbusters flowing into national and state institutions, including Vienna: Art & Design (NGV); Peggy Guggenheim (AGWA); Saatchi in Adelaide (AGSA); Surrealism (GoMA); The First Emperor, The Mad Square and Picasso (AGNSW); Annie Liebovitz and (from 16 Dec) Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (MCA) and Renaissance (NGA from 9 Dec). Apart from these (often pre-existing) shows, more international art has been seen in institutions, for example the NGA’s excellent Life Death & Magic (Indonesian traditional arts) and AGNSW’s specialist Asian galleries exhibitions. It has been a big year all round for the AGNSW, with the superb Kaldor Collection of late 20^th century art now housed alongside the rest of the contemporary collection in spacious new galleries, a spectacular swan song for outgoing director Edmund Capon. But for contemp-o-holics keen to see current and edgy overseas work, the above are slim pickings, with only the MCA consistently programming ambitious stand-alone shows of current international art. In Hobart and Sydney, three privately funded institutions help fill the gap, with MONA, the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF) and White Rabbit Gallery consistently presenting new work. Commercial gallerists Anna Schwartz and Roslyn Oxley operate in the remaining gap, with significant private wealth and some major international artists, alongside a handful of well-heeled dealerships. The prestigious Melbourne Art Fair attracted a smattering of overseas galleries, including a modest Canadian participation.

Biennale-land

It is to Australia’s three major curated international bi/triennials that one must look for currency. The Biennale of Sydney (BoS) and Brisbane’s Asia Pacific Triennial (APT), both with 2012 editions in planning, are regarded internationally as ones to watch, and their attendance figures compare with major events worldwide, in part because of a policy of appointing curators of international renown. The Adelaide International, a de-facto biennial staged alongside the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art (ABAA), is also well-regarded, with Victoria Lynn’s Restless (from 2 March, various venues) eagerly anticipated. It is expected that the 2^nd edition of the NGA’s National Indigenous Art Triennial (NIAT 2012: unDisclosed, re-scheduled for May) will live up the promise of Brenda Croft’s first (2008) instalment, which toured nationally and to Washington DC to some acclaim.

Federal, State and City

Federal Arts Minister Simon Crean has maintained a steady-as-she-goes approach, with predecessor Garrett’s policy initiatives (notably the Resale Royalty Scheme and Indigenous Art Code) proving uncontentious, and a steady stream of reviews and reports under consideration. The arts are not seen as an election-winner by Labour or the Coalition, and hopes that a change of government signifies funding increases, or even enthusiasm, long ago gave way to acceptance that continuation, indexed for inflation, is the best one can hope for. Queensland bucked the national trend, with a 5% real increase in arts funding for 2011/12.

Ozco and the other nationally funded institutions, the NGA, NPG, NMA, NLA, NMM, Artbank, ABAF, Screen Australia and Bundanon Trust, all continue to do good work on limited resources, and we should certainly never take their existence for granted. The University galleries nationwide are an often underrated asset, supplementing a well-developed network of state regional galleries and some arts-aware city and local governments across the country. The major capitals in particular are attempting to nourish an inner city creative revival, with a noticeable increase in small-scale support for beach art, laneway art, urban art projects, ARIs and creative networks of many kinds. It’s not such a bad picture, and art may even be said to be gaining space in the imaginative life of nation.

Markets

Fact: people do buy art. All sorts of people buy it, and they buy it at all levels, from village fêtes to prestige auctions. It’s certainly true that many smaller galleries have been doing it tough for several years, struggling to keep afloat, much less returning to pre GFC (2007) levels. It appears that at the more accessible end of the market ($1-5K), people are keeping their credit cards in their pockets. Above that, it’s all about who’s ‘collectable’, and if you are, the $10-30K range appears surprisingly robust. Above these levels it’s likely there’s already a waiting list for your work, and you’re being re-sold at auction or dealerships. After a bit of re-shuffling, the auction scene has settled down again, with most major players still in the game, and an ambitious, new-ish kid on the block (Deutscher and Hackett) stalking the established houses. It’s widely believed that the heady sales of the noughties, especially for Indigenous art, are over – it was a bubble that was never going to be sustainable. But despite worldwide economic jitters, 2011 has been an encouraging year at re-sale, with clearance rates and revenues holding up in most cases, and a number of million dollar plus individual sales. Verdict: cautious optimism.

The zeitgeist

Across the year and across the nation we’ve seen ample evidence of a diverse art scene that sustains many thousands of artists, many galleries large and small, and a significant curatorial and academic infrastructure, extending beyond capital cities via regional institutions, supported by a broad political consensus that this is a worthwhile use of taxpayer money. Surveys regularly show that more Australians follow artistic pursuits than sporting ones. The audience for contemporary art, including Indigenous artists, is growing modestly, but imported ‘old master’ shows and well-worn favourites like the Archibald remain the most popular offerings. Our educational institutions are adequately resourced. There are reasonable opportunities for young artists with talent and industry to get ahead, get noticed, get a grant, even make a living if they are lucky.

GenY artists in Australia seem a remarkably cheerful bunch, and a self-protective carapace of techno-savvy irony seems to be de rigeur. Self-destructive, garret-like attitudes are out, and passions are not worn on sleeves, or even on lapel buttons. Understatement is what it’s all about, either that or full-on overstatement. GenX artists are establishing themselves in institutional positions to augment modest returns on art practice, and increasingly run University art departments, as the Boomers approach retirement. Across the generations, only a handful of Australian artists have achieved significant international recognition. That most of those are Indigenous artists may tell us something about how we are perceived globally.

We’ve heard it said that it’s all too easy. That a complacent and risk-averse curatariat presides over a parochial system of patronage, meekly followed by a compliant constituency of artists. That without social challenge, political upheaval, blood and guts, great art will not emerge. That most Australian visual art is a half-hearted, cynical business, a watered-down version of what is going on ‘overseas’. That most video art is banal and easy to do. That there is too much unexceptional photomedia, too much dot painting, too much portraiture, too much… well, you know how it goes. We don’t have the answers, but the questions are always interesting. Can you think of any art experience this year past which changed your worldview, made you see with new eyes, provided an epiphany? We can, but if you can’t, get into that studio and start making it!

All best wishes for 2012 – keep the comments and emails coming.

Australian Art Notes: November 2011

Artsummit success

The 5th World Summit on Arts and Culture wrapped up in Melbourne in early October, with credit to all concerned it seems. The Summit, themed Creative Intersections, attracted 501 delegates from 72 countries, exploring intersections between the arts and other sectors across health, education, environment, business, international aid, social inclusion and digital technologies. A summary of case studies and papers will be released early in 2012, and the 6th Summit will take place in Chile in January 2014.

www.artsummit.org

Returning antiquities

The Australian government is quietly doing the right thing, with recent returns of precious cultural antiquities to Egypt, Peru and Jordan under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986. In September, 122 Egyptian artefacts including figurines and miniature amulets, some dating from the fourth millennium BC, were officially returned to Egypt. Nine artefacts, including fragile textile remnants, woven and pottery dolls and gold foil artefacts, were formally handed back to Peru, and two miniature pots have been returned to Jordan. The Federal Office for the Arts said “the Australian Government is committed to the protection of moveable cultural heritage – both our own and that of other nations. Anyone seeking to purchase cultural heritage objects must ensure that they are accompanied by the proper documents such as export permits”.

www.arts.gov.au

National Indigenous centre back on the radar

After a quiescent period, talk of an Indigenous cultural centre in Sydney’s contentious Barangaroo precinct has again been in the news, partly arising from the sudden resignation of Hetti Perkins as head of Indigenous art at AGNSW. Perkins has called for the establishment of a national institution that reflects the range and depth of contemporary Indigenous culture. Arts Minister Simon Crean encouraged her to make a submission to the NCP (see below). A national Indigenous knowledge centre was canvassed at the 2020 summit in 2008, and Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin says a feasibility study commissioned last year is still being considered. Powerhouse Museum director Dawn Casey supports a new national institution but says it should avoid ethnographic material and social history, and “be more about where we are today”. Sydney's deputy Lord Mayor, Marcelle Hoff, said Barangaroo would be a suitable site for an Indigenous centre, although not underground, arguing that the symbolism of an Indigenous centre buried below ground would be unacceptable.

Bunker busters

Simultaneously, the Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) has initiated tendering for a 100,000-cubic metre underground ‘cultural space’, situated within a natural-looking headland designed by the US landscape architect Peter Walker, and ferociously championed by Paul Keating, at an overall estimated cost exceeding $90 million. Quickly dubbed ‘the bunker’ by the media, planning documents say usage will be determined in the future ''depending on what Sydney needs''. Sydney University’s Professor Peter Webber says ''No architect in their right mind could design a space like that without knowing what you could put in it”. In a last-ditch attempt to stop the plan, Webber has written to the NSW Premier, backed by more than 60 planning and architectural luminaries, including Richard Leplastrier, Peter Stutchbury, Philip Cox, Penelope Seidler and David Chesterman. The letter suggests the northern point, earmarked for the headland, is an ideal location for a new theatre, which should be built above ground.

BDA says the raw underground space will add just $8 million to the cost of restoring the headland and it cites other successful underground facilities including Hobart’s MONA, Sydney’s Conservatorium of Music and Renzo Piano’s California Academy Of Sciences. According to BDA documents, visitors will experience “a dramatic entry that leads into a large space with natural light reflecting off the warm sandstone wall from numerous skylights above”. It adds that the cultural facility will provide “a diversity of spaces to suit a wide range of exhibition and performance, allowing multiple configurations, heights and views, there are few limitations on how these spaces could be used”.

www.barangaroo.com

New MCA reveals 2012 program

Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) today announced a reopening date of

31 March 2012, following its $53 million redevelopment. The 2012 exhibition program was also announced, commencing with Marking Time (31 March until 3 June 2012) curated by Rachel Kent, featuring artists from Europe, the USA, Brazil, Japan and Australia, and Volume One: MCA Collection, curated by Glenn Barkley. Next up will be the18th Biennale of Sydney: all our relations (27 June– 16 September) across two levels. Spring shows include Primavera (5 October – 2 December), Ken Whisson - As If (1 October – 28 November) and Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro (4 October – 28 November). Next summer, artist Brook Andrew will curate TABOO - The Silent Identity (19 December– 24 February 2013) presenting recent work by Indigenous artists from Australia and around the world. Also announced is a series of permanent site-specific works by Australian artists including Brook Andrew, Hany Armanious, Emily Floyd, Grant Stevens and Helen Eager.

Review of the reviews

Comments on the Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy (NCP) discussion paper closed on 21 October, with over 900 submissions received as AMA went to press. Arising from perceived public interest, news media have demonstrated a higher level of attention than is usual for arts policy issues, with News Ltd, Fairfax and Crikey all presenting thoughtful pieces in the run-up to the comment deadline. Some have been critical of the ‘glacial’ pace of a process initiated by (then) Arts Minister Peter Garrett in 2006, with the final policy due in 2012. The review is just one of an acronym-strewn range of arts, culture and media reviews intended to inform a coherent ‘whole-of-government’ policy. National Artnotes has reported on many of these over the last year or so:

The Strategic Digital Industry Plan (SDIP), a.k.a Creative Industries, a Strategy for 21st Century Australia: was released in August, and responses to the discussion paper for Harold Mitchell’s Review of Private Sector Support for the Arts (RPSSA) closed in July, with the final report expected early next year. Also mentioned in the NCP paper is a 2010 election commitment to look at the possibility of a National Design Policy, with proposed draft scope of reference and timeframe expected soon.

www.arts.gov.au

The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)’s revised Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts was published in August, with further content, consultation and revision planned throughout 2012 and final publication TBC.

www.acara.edu.au

Then there’s The Convergence Review, being conducted under the auspices of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE), examining policy and regulatory frameworks for a “converged media and communications landscape in Australia”. A discussion paper was released in September with submissions closing 28 October and final report due March 2012.

www.dbcde.gov.au

Finally, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has released a discussion paper on its Review of the National Classification Scheme, with submissions closing 18 November and final report due January 2012.

www.alrc.gov.au

Venice Pavillion update

Expressions of interest for the design of a new Venice Pavillion have now closed. The pavillion, managed by the Australia Council, is due to be completed for the opening of the 56th International Art Exhibition in June 2015, with appointment date for the chosen architect(s) to be announced. The selection panel comprises Luca Belgiorno-Nettis (Chair, Biennale of Sydney), Doug Hall (Biennale 2011 Commissioner), Kathy Keele (Ozco CEO), Simon Mordant (Biennale 2013 Commissioner) and Brian Zulaikha (President, Australian Institute of Architects).

www.australiacouncil.gov.au/venicepavillion

NPG Movember

The National Portrait Gallery has announced the collection based show Jo's mo show (with beards)

(28 October - 1 April) illustrating changes in beards, moustaches and sideburns from the 1780s to the 1980s. The NPG throws open its doors between 5pm - 9pm on the last Friday of every month for exhibition viewings, entertainment and drinks to kick-start the weekend. And a reminder that entries to the $25k 2012 National Photographic Portrait Prize close on 31st October.

Vale Steve (belatedly)

Steven Paul Jobs
Inventor
February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

Vale Ruby

Ruby Langford Ginibi 
Writer and academic
(26 January 1934 – 1 October 2011

Australian Art Notes | October

David Corbet's National artnotes appear in edited form in Art Monthly Australia (www.artmonthly.org.au)

________

ABC Arts cuts update

Following the ABC’s decision to discontinue the Art Nation program and disband the TV arts unit, protests have been widespread. A senate enquiry has been launched into, among other things, “the implications of this decision on Australian film and television production in general, and potential impact on quality and diversity of programs”. Some have accused the committee of acting with indecent haste (submissions closed on 9 September) with its report due on 12 October.

www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/ec_ctte/abc/info.htm

At press time, an open letter to the ABC board had been signed by 59 prominent arts figures, stating that the decision “will diminish the ABC’s irreplaceable role as the nation’s cultural memory”. Signatories include Peter Carey, Helen Garner, Tim Winton, David Malouf, Nick Cave, Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee, Oscar winners Geoffrey Rush and Adam Elliot, and Edinburgh Festival director Jonathan Mills. The letter adds that “without a strong in-house unit to create and to commission arts programming, the national broadcaster will fail its charter responsibilities. And it will fail us, by not reminding us that our national character is informed and shaped by the imagination and creativity of artists”.

Auction action

Two out of three major fine art auctions in August were cause for cautious optimism in a sector that has been somewhat soft in recent times. Sotheby's (Important Australian & International Art) sold Arthur Boyd’s The Frightened Bridegroom (1958) for a record $1.2 million, and Arthur Streeton’s Ocean Blue, Lorne (1921) for $276k, achieving a total of $4.9 million across 67 lots, a clearance rate of 78%. Deutscher and Hackett (Important Australian and International Art) also managed a respectable 78% by volume, total sales of $4.8 million across 165 lots, with John Brack’s The Fertility Goddess (1974) fetching $600k. Bonham’s (Australian Art) sold a more modest 40% of offerings. Topping their results was Brett Whiteley’s Nobby's Head and the Entrance to Newcastle (1991) at $576k, while his Vincent (bought for $1.02m four years ago) was passed in. This was an even worse clearance rate than Bonham’s disappointing result in June (Aboriginal Art), which sold 68 of 147 lots (46%) totalling $744k. Commentators have suggested that Bonham’s relative inexperience in the Australian market may be to blame for what appear to be under-trend results. 

In other news, Deutscher and Hackett have announced that their New Albion Gallery (NAG) has secured the current Sydney premises of the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF) from 2013, with Doug Hall AM, Australia’s current Venice Biennale Commissioner, as Consulting Curator. SCAF will continue to be based at the adjoining annexe and will operate its popular Culture and Ideas forums from this location, with future exhibition projects relocating to the new Sherman-benefacted galleries at Gateway@COFA (see AMA 243).

National Cultural Policy

The Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy discussion paper is now available. Have your say on the future of arts, culture and the creative industries in Australia. Comments close 21 October.

www.arts.gov.au

National Gallery

The NGA Canberra has announced its summer blockbuster: Renaissance:15th & 16th Century Italian Paintings from the Accademia Carrara, Bergamo (9 Dec – 9 Apr 2012). It is hoped the exhibition, featuring works by Raphael, Botticelli and Titian among a host of others, will prove a big draw for the gallery this summer. Despite opening a new wing, the NGA has struggled to repeat the spectacular attendance of its 2010 Masterpieces from Paris exhibition, which attracted a record 476,000 visitors.

National Museum

The NMA Canberra has announced two new exhibitions: A New Horizon: Contemporary Chinese Art (from 30 Sept) features works from the National Art Museum of China, featuring painting, sculpture and new media art created since 1949. Off the Walls (from 28 Oct) features work by such artists as Rover Thomas, Narritjin Maymuru and Fiona Foley, drawn from the collections of various government bodies, made between 1967 and 2005. Opening on 16 November is Inside: Life in Children’s Homes and Institutions, featuring the voices and personal objects of the forgotten Australians and former child migrants who experienced institutional care as children.

National Portrait Gallery

The NPG Canberra has announced two upcoming exhibitions for its summer programme. Of kings and men: Celebrating 100 years of the Historic Memorials Collection
(3 Nov - 5 Feb 2012) celebrates 100 years of the Historic Memorials Collection and its role in commissioning portraits of parliamentary and judicial figures in Australia. Impressions: Painting light and life
(25 Nov- 4 March 2012) presents portraits by, and of, artists at the heart of Australian impressionism including Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin, featuring well-loved icons of late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Australian art, as well as rarely-exhibited works drawn from public and private collections. The $25k National Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 (16 March to 20 May and touring) is now open to entries, closing on 31 October.

www.portrait.gov.au

London Museum Fellowships

Two Australians will travel to London to continue work on the repatriation of Indigenous ancestral remains as part of new fellowship positions at the Natural History Museum. Arts Minister Simon Crean announced that Carol Christophersen from Darwin and Emma Loban from Thursday Island will spend six months with the Museum working on projects associated with the repatriation of human remains to their community of origin.

Creative Australia Artists Grants

OzCo has launched the Creative Australia Artists Grants, a five year program which delivers on the Federal Government’s budget commitment of $10 million in new funding to the arts. The program will support artists across all artforms to deliver new artistic works, undertake fellowships and create additional presentations to Australian audiences over the next five years. The focus will be on attracting applications from artists facing access barriers such as artists with a disability, artists from non-English speaking and culturally diverse backgrounds, and artists in regional and remote areas.

www.australiacouncil.gov.au/grants/creative_australia

Indigenous Art Code update

Indigenous Art Code Ltd is conducting a renewed recruitment drive. When the Code was first released in mid-2010 it quickly received almost 100 signatories, an enthusiastic first response. Now that the Code has more resources in staff and marketing funds, CEO John Oster is currently travelling and meeting with artists, dealers and galleries across Australia. One of the priorities is to enlist the support of the leading institutions and arts agencies for the principles of the Code, as well as artists and other stakeholders.

www.indigenousartcode.org

Sport and Art

Australian artists are invited to participate in the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Art Contest, in two categories: Sculptures and Graphic works. The theme of the contest is ‘Sport and the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect’. The contest consists of a national phase from August 2011 – January 2012 and an international phase from March – June 2012. Participants must submit their work for the national phase to the AOC by Tuesday 31 January 2012. There is no age restriction. For further information contact Frances Cordaro on 02 9247 2000 or email frances.cordaro@olympics.com.au

WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition 

The Wetlandcare Australia National Art and Photography Competition is now open for entries. With five categories available, there is a chance for people of all ages to submit their photographs and artworks on paper exploring the theme of Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation for the chance to win great prizes.

www.wetlandcare.com.au

Vale Cy Twombly

Edwin Parker 'Cy' Twombly, Jr 

Artist

April 25, 1928 – July 5, 2011

Photograph: Francois Halard

Vale Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE 
Screen icon
February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011

Vale, Ian Abdulla

Ian Abdulla
Painter
1947-2011

Vale Makinti Napanangka

Makinti Napanangka
Painter
c1925 - 2011

AUS/NETHERLANDS: The Namatjira Project - 2011

The Namatjira Project has announced preliminary dates and venues for its 2011 tour - see below.
If you didn't catch this during its all too brief Belvoir St (Sydney) season, book now!
International Community Arts Fesitval, Rotterdam, Holland.
30th March - 4th April
Creative development and showing in the Pilbara, WA.
18th July - 30th July

Melbourne season (announcing soon!)
10th August - 28th August

Drum Theatre at Dandenong Town Hall, Dandenong, VIC.
1 September - 4th September

Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Geelong, Victoria.
8th September - 10 September

Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra, ACT.
14 September - 17th September

Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong, NSW.
21 September - 24th September

Big hART and the Namatjira Project continues to nuture a close relationship with the Namatjira family, and will continue to work with them both in Alice Springs and on tour. For more info: hhttp://www.namatjira.bighart.org/

See our blog item from earlier this year: http://leflaneurblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/sydney-big-harts-namatjira.html

Sydney: Annie Leibovitz at MCA

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

until 27 March 2011

Above: Susan Sontag, Vandam Street Studio, New York 1999 © the artist and MCA Sydney


This large show is notable  for its inclusion of many personal family photographs, and little-seen travel and landscape images, as well as many of the iconic images of celebrities for which she is best known.
The exhibition started its world tour at the Brooklyn Museum in 2006 and has since been seen at the San Diego Museum of Art, the Atlanta High Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, the National Portrait Gallery in London, C/O Berlin, Alcala 31 in Madrid, Kunsthaus Wien and Fotografiska museum Stockholm.
Buy the book, Annie needs the cash!

Vale Roberta

Roberta 'Bobbi' Sykes 
Writer and activist
1943 – 2010

Vale Gregory

 Gregory Anthony Isaacs 

Musician

15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)

Canberra: James Turrell's new 'skyspace'

James Turrell
Within without 2010

Australian Gardens
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

3 years and A$10 million in the making, this astonishing underground installation continues Turrell's  series of 'skyspaces' around the world.

The Quaker artist's ongoing masterwork is Roden Crater, an extinct volcano in Arizona's Painted Desert which he has been transforming into a celestial observatory for the past thirty years - see the video below.


Photo: Within without 2010
Courtesy the artists and NGA

Sydney: Big hART’s 'Namatjira'

Namatjira 

Upstairs Theatre at Belvoir Street 

until November 7

www.belvoir.com.au


This piece of 'community theatre', about the early 20th century Aboriginal painter Albert Namatjira, transcends the genre, delivering an intimate spectacle with heart, soul, humour and profundity in equal measure. It's effectively a 2-hander and Trevor Jamieson and Derek Wyatt are both compelling in their multiple roles. See it if you can. The Sydney season is nearly sold out but an extension and wider tour is likely.


More about the project:
http://www.namatjira.bighart.org


Flickr photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/namatjiraproject/5092303482/


Pictured: Trevor Jamieson
Courtesy Belvoir St Theatre

Vale Benoît Mandelbrot

Benoît B. Mandelbrot
Scientist
20 November 1924 – 14 October 2010

Vale Joan Sutherland

Joan Alston Sutherland
Singer
7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010

New Zealand: Taika Waititi's 'Boy'

Boy
Dir: Taika Waititi, New Zealand
88 minutes

Sundance Film Festival January 22, 2010
World Cinema – Dramatic

Audience Award Winner at Sydney Film Festival QANTAS BEST FEATURE FILM

The highest grossing NZ film of all time may be the best movie to come out of Australasia this year. Many films attempt to get inside the mind of a child, with mixed success. Here, success is total. James Rolleston (pictured) and his little brother Rocky, played by Te Aho Eketone Whitu, are both superb on screen. Their feckless father Alamein is played by director Taika Waititi, also to good effect.
The narrative maintains a fine balance between deadpan Maori humour, poignant observation and profound insights into the world of a child teetering on the edge of adolescence. Often played for laughs, there are also heartrending moments. Feelgood? Well, maybe, but in a way that is truthful and universally relevant.

More info: http://www.boythemovie.co.nz/

Vale, Kevin

Kevin Hough
Outsider artist
May 27 1956 – July 9 2010

Vale Louise

Louise Joséphine Bourgeois
25 December 1911 – 31 May 2010
Image: © Estate Robert Mapplethorpe

Biennale of Sydney: a few standouts from preview day

Newell Harry

Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay

Cai Guo-Qiang
Cockatoo Island

Brook Andrew

Cockatoo Island

Janet Laurence

Botanical Gardens

Janet Laurence

Botanical Gardens

Fiona Hall

Botanical Gardens

Choi Jeong Hwa
Sydney Opera House

More to come soon.

Biennale of Sydney: AES+F – The Feast of Trimalchio - part 1

This work was also shown at the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2009.
Three simultaneous channels are projected onto a circular screen, each taking up a third of the space.
The three channels are shown here as layers.

Vale, Lena

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne 
June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010