CRITICS' CHOICE: from the collection

Free Exhibition

CRITICS' CHOICE features works of art selected from the Newcastle Art Gallery collection by Newcastle arts writers John Barnes and Jill Stowell.

The exhibition will be displayed alongside the KILGOUR PRIZE 2018 providing a rich history of painting the human figure with works from the Newcastle Art Gallery collection. CRITICS' CHOICE focuses on artists from the early 20^th century up until the beginning of the last decade giving a fresh and unanticipated view into the collection.
 
'A gallery is essentially defined by its collection and it is generally accepted that Newcastle Art Gallery possesses one of the finest in the country, outside the capital cities. Almost every major Australian artist since the start of the 19^th century is represented by quality works, so we saw this as an opportunity to dig deep to find seldom-seen paintings that together reflect the constantly changing and evolving approaches to portraying the human figure.
 
The figures of Rupert Bunny and George Lambert bump and rub shoulders with others portrayed by Clarice Beckett, Arthur Boyd, Richard Larter and Mike Parr who, together with Russell Drysdale and Justin O’Brien among others, bear witness to the stylistic shifts that occurred across a century in a vibrant and sometimes humorous interaction between eras and attitudes.' - John Barnes 26/6/2018