The story of Judy Watson’s ‘tow row’

The story of Judy Watson’s tow row transcends its physical form and speaks of cultural retrieval and community activation. This stunning work, generously funded by the Queensland Government, the Neilson Foundation, Cathryn Mittelheuser AM and others, is a fitting acknowledgment of the ancestor spirit of Kurilpa. Public art has the power to change the cultural…

Albert Namatjira’s legacy celebrated

‎Albert Namatjira occupies a significant place within Australian art history, being the first widely recognised Indigenous artist. His work Western MacDonnells c.1945 was the first by an Aboriginal person to enter the QAGOMA Collection in 1947. The Hermannsburg School art movement that began at the Lutheran mission of Hermannsburg in Central Australia in the 1930s,…

Margaret Preston’s bold and decorative work

Australian artist Margaret Preston (1875-1963) is best known for the striking paintings and woodcut prints that she produced from the 1920s until the 1950s. Bridge from North Shore c.1932 (illustrated) is a bold and decorative work and a fine example of the artist’s style during this period. Like the floral still-lifes the artist produced at…

Church interior: An uplifting vision of everyday life

Church interior c.1941-42 (illustrated) is one of Grace Cossington Smith’s most significant achievements, incorporating her major stylistic approaches and interests. It is also meaningful in terms of the artist’s personal history, as it depicts the Smith family’s place of worship, the new St James’ Anglican Church in Turramurra, Sydney, built in 1941. The painting encapsulates…

Morning Star Poles

The dramatic group of 76 Banumbirr (Morning star poles) from Galiwin’ku, Arnhem Land resemble those used annually in north-eastern Arnhem Land ceremonies that celebrate the morning star (the planet Venus). RELATED: Read more about Australian Indigenous Art SIGN UP NOW: Subscribe to QAGOMA Blog for the latest announcements, acquisition highlights, behind-the-scenes features, and artist stories.…

Margaret Preston: Aboriginal still life

Margaret Preston (1875-1963)  returned to Australia from Europe in 1919 determined to develop a modern and distinctly national art. Indigenous art was integral to her campaign and, after 1932, when she moved to Berowra in the Hawkesbury Basin near Sydney and encountered local rock art, she embraced its restricted palette and geometric forms. Her appreciation…