The Art Gallery of NSW has secured Australia’s biggest and first-ever retrospective exhibition dedicated to surrealist pioneer René Magritte. You could consider Magritte the master of symbols, and this exhibition takes art lovers and history fanatics through 20 years worth of Magritte’s paintings, starting from the 1920s.
Rain or shine, it's never a dull time when you can get out to explore the fascinating exhibitions on show at Sydney’s best art galleries and top museums. Suddenly, November has arrived – and with it, the city’s major summer exhibitions are beginning to welcome visitors. The Art Gallery of NSW is levelling things up in a surreal way, recently unveiling Magritte (open ‘til Feb 9) – a blockbuster exhibition dedicated to the influential surrealist painter René Magritte, it is the biggest collection of his original artworks ever seen in Australia. Taking things from the origins of surrealism to art for the future, AGNSW will also introduce Sydney audiences to the cyber futurism of pioneering Chinese contemporary artist Cao Fei in Cao Fei: My City is Yours (Nov 30-Apr 13). This neon-lit exhibition takes the form of a nocturnal cityscape; expect roaming spacesuits and mind-altering high-tech elements.
Both of the aforementioned exhibitions are exclusive to the Harbour City as part of the Sydney International Art Series, which is rounded out by a major survey of acclaimed artist Julie Mehretu at The MCA, the first to be seen in the Southern Hemisphere. Mehretu is widely regarded as one of the most significant painters of her generation, and her work has been lauded for its capacity to convey the interconnectedness and urgencies of our globalised world. Titled Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory (Nov 29-Apr 4) it will present more than 80 works, including 13 new works created especially for the exhibition. (Speaking of the MCA, did you know that they're also teaming up with legendary maximalist fashion masters Romance Was Born for a special edition of MCA Art Bar on Friday, November 7?)
Are you more in the mood for some ancient history? Then prepare yourself for a journey into the “lost city” of the Amazon via the Australian Museum with Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, opening from November 23. Following the success of Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs last summer, this blockbuster exhibition will take you on a deep dive into a remarkable culture and history.
Keen to check out what Sydney’s next wave of emerging artists are cooking up? Head on over to the National Art School in Darlinghurst for the 2024 Post Grad Show (Nov 8-17) and then the 2024 Grad Show (Dec 6-15) at NAS Galleries. Showcasing a dynamic array of artworks and styles (and also allowing you to peek inside the artists' studios!) each year the NAS Grad Shows garner interest from gallerists and collectors alike, who take the opportunity to meet artists at the launch of their careers. (Find out more at nas.edu.au.) Hot tip: while you’re in the neighbourhood, wander over to Qtopia Sydney.
We’re also keen to get out west to check out Spot the Difference (Nov 9-Feb 18) – an exhibition that’s invited 16 artists to play around with Sydney’s most enduring urban myth, the legend of the Penrith Panther, at Penrith Regional Gallery. Featuring work by Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Billy Bain, Claudia Nicholson, Jason Phu, Blak Douglas and Regina Walter, the exhibition presents new and existing bodies of work that connect with the mythology and iconography of the panther, and engage with the cultural and social functions of myth and storytelling in contemporary culture. On top of this, emerging designer Osselan Tupai Scanlan has designed some badass panther T-shirts to go along with the exhibition, and you can buy one to take home. (Find out more over here.)
Better yet, all of the above is just the tip of the iceberg. Read on for the coolest exhibitions to have a gander at.
