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https://theconversation.com/the-potter-museum-of-art-relaunches-with-the-outstanding-65-000-years-a-short-history-of-australian-art-257640>
"In the late 1970s, when I was a fine arts student, the Melbourne University
Gallery was just one room in a neo-gothic quadrangle. It wasn’t until the mid
1990s that the university commissioned Nonda Katzalidis to design a four-story
concrete gallery on a narrow site fronting Swanston Street.
The Ian Potter Museum of Art quickly became a vital centre for displaying
diverse university collections – from classical antiquities to post-war bark
paintings and contemporary art.
The re-opening of the museum, after it closed for renovations in 2018, is an
art event of major proportions with the architectural clout to match.
The newest addition by Randal Marsh of Wood Marsh Architects transforms an
adjacent red-brick building. A polished-steel portal gives onto stylish spaces:
high vaulted ceilings, a light-filled atrium, new teaching rooms and luxurious
bathrooms. There is now a serious restaurant with a long dining room, open
kitchen and balcony café.
Named “Residence” for its annual chef-in-residence program, starting with the
Michelin-starred Robbie Noble, this may well become the go-to space for
visitors, academics and students alike.
All expectations are exceeded by the opening exhibition
65,000 Years, a Short
History of Australian Art. The title emphasises both the ancient Indigenous
presence on this continent, and cheekily suggests that the main art that’s been
made here is Aboriginal.
As we recognise the monumental contributions of bark painting from the 1940s
on, dot-painting from the 1970s on, and urban art starting in the 1980s, there
is much to commend this view."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
