The excitement of romance

With Cupid in mind, we look at two works from QAGOMA’s collection with romance as their underlying subject – at the Gallery we believe that love conquers all barriers – and that is the way it should be. Arthur Boyd: The lady and the unicorn portfolio Arthur Boyd’s etchings for The lady and the unicorn…

Arthur Boyd, Australia 1920-1999 / The lady and the unicorn (portfolio) 1975

The Lady and the Unicorn, a story of love and betrayal

The series The Lady and the Unicorn 1975 (illustrated) are powerful and dreamlike etchings by Arthur Boyd (1920–99) which reveal his mastery of the medium couched in a story of love and betrayal. Boyd is celebrated for his paintings, but he is also recognised as a significant and innovative printmaker. Some of his best series…

Bernard Hall, Lady with sponge 1922

Dreamlike & evocative is the Lady with sponge

Lady with sponge (illustrated) is a striking, intriguing work by artist Lindsay Bernard Hall (1859–1935) whose skill as an artist was often overshadowed by his other significant achievements. Hall was an artist, teacher and director of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne from 1892 to 1933. Hall is noted for his interiors and…

Alick Tipoti, Kala Lagaw Ya people, Australia b.1975 / Kudusur 2017

Watch Alick Tipoti create his mural ‘Kudusur’

‘Kudusur’ translates as ‘poling with elbow’. This work is Alick Tipoti’s interpretation of the spiritual ancestors, Thoegay and Kang, know to his people as the Zugubal. Thoegay and Kang are two brothers, who extend their elbows and use them as paddles for their canoe. Keen-sighted Thoegay sits at the front, and Kang is blind and sits at…

Helen Johnson, Australia b.1979 / Women’s work (1902) 2017 and Women’s work (1912) 2017

The power of a Collective and the power of a vote

Future Collective member Belinda Elderton reports on the art, the tough decisions, and the collective camaraderie of the group’s recent project pitch event At a time when the marriage equality survey is causing the Australian people to question the value of their vote, the QAGOMA Future Collective members demonstrated the uplifting power of democracy at our annual…