Conserving Gordon Bennett’s diptych ‘Number three’

Unconventional types of damage require unconventional treatment strategies. This is certainly true for the collaborative major treatment QAGOMA’s paintings conservation team completed on Gordon Bennett’s (1955 – 2014) Number three 2004, a significant diptych painted in acrylic on Belgian linen. Bennett is well-known for his highly figurative narrative-driven commentaries on Australian colonial history and contemporary…

The Gordon Bennett Studio: Samford Valley

‘Unfinished Business: The Art of Gordon Bennett’ presents the work of an artist deeply engaged with questions of identity, perception and the construction of history. Simon Wright, a long-time friend of the artist, recalls the man in the studio in our two part series, continuing with his purpose-built Samford Valley studio. DELVE DEEPER: Read about…

The Gordon Bennett Studio: Petrie, Brisbane

‘Unfinished Business: The Art of Gordon Bennett’ presents the work of an artist deeply engaged with questions of identity, perception and the construction of history. Simon Wright, a long-time friend of the artist, recalls the man in the studio in our two part series, beginning with his studio under the family home in Petrie. DELVE…

Bloodlines: The art of Gordon Bennett

Gordon Bennett (1955–2014) created the triptych Bloodlines 1993 early in his career. It speaks of colonial violence and the consequences of being on the ‘wrong’ side of history, purchased in 2019, this powerful and sobering work is a major acquisition for the QAGOMA Collection. ‘Bloodlines’ Preliminary sketches for ‘Bloodlines’ In his lifetime, Bennett was widely…

The colour black & other histories: The art of Gordon Bennett

Queensland-born artist Gordon Bennett (1955–2014) was deeply engaged with questions of identity, perception and the construction of history, and made a profound and ongoing contribution to contemporary art in Australia and internationally. To me, the image of Eddie Mabo stood like the eye of a storm, calmly asserting his rights while all around him the…

Unfinished Business: The Art of Gordon Bennett

The art and legacy of Gordon Bennett (1955–2014), one of Australia’s most influential contemporary artists, will be on show at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) from 7 November 2020 to 21 March 2021. ‘Unfinished Business: The Art of Gordon Bennett’ celebrates the Queensland-based artist’s globally recognised contribution to contemporary art. The exhibition showcases Bennett’s…