After a rude interruption, courtesy of a certain health crisis, the Art Gallery of NSW is open once more and has now unveiled a fantastic line-up of exciting exhibitions for the rest of the year, spearheaded by the return of Australia’s much-loved portrait competition, the Archibald Prize, alongside the Wynne and Sulman Prizes.
“After much anticipation from artists and audiences alike, we are very pleased to announce new dates for the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2020 exhibition and to now invite entries from artists across Australia,” AGNSW director Michael Brand said.
An exhibition of the no-doubt excellent entrants will open on September 26, and we can’t wait to see which famous faces make it onto canvases coming to the gallery soon.
Arthur Streeton 'Fire's on' 1891
Sadly, due to restrictions on international travel, Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris and Matisse Alive have been postponed. But Brand announced Streeton, a major retrospective of the sunshiney works of Arthur Streeton which will brighten up the lives of gallery-goers from this November. That month also features a long-overdue look at the career of Pat Larter, Get Arted, that centres on the female gaze and proud sexuality.
Coming in October, Joy will showcase uplifting works of art from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives working in the Central Desert, including works by Queenie Kemarre and Judith Inkamala.
Patricia Larter 'Pat's anger' 1992
Real Worlds, the Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2020, presents imaginary worlds summoned onto paper by eight contemporary Australian artists including Danie Mellor, Martin Bell, Peter Mungkuri and Becc Ország, also in October.
If you can’t wait that long for your restorative art fix, Western Sydney artist Khaled Sabsabi’s solo exhibition, A Promise, opens on July 18, with a world view ranging from Sydney to the Middle East, exploring spiritual belief, politics and conflict.
You can also head into AGNSW right now to check out current exhibitions Some Mysterious Process, showcasing some of the institution’s finest acquisitions from the previous 50 years, including the beautiful work of David Hockney, Under the Stars featuring Shaun Gladwell, and the now-reopened Biennale of Sydney: Nirin.
Need more art in a hurry? Check out this month’s coolest exhibitions.
This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
