Harry Seidler: The Collector by Boris Cornelissen | 7 July 2020 Whilst modernist architecture made its way to Australia through various routes, only one architect fully embodied the Bauhaus spirit that united art, architecture and design: Harry Seidler. With a significant collection of art and design of his own, and an impressive list of public commissions from artists including Alexander Calder, Frank Stella and Sol LeWitt, Seidler’s cultural contributions went beyond the influential buildings that he left behind. The tenth feature on ILEANA will be in two parts, looking at the Seidlers’ enga ..read more

Zhang Xiaogang Works in Australian Collections Zhang Xiaogang Reincarnation, 1989 pencil and ink on paper mounted on cloth 76.6 by 53.3 cm. Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (acquired in 2007) Zhang Xiaogang Three Comrades (from Bloodline: Big Family series), 1994 oil on canvas 150 by 180 cm.  Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (acquired in 1996) Zhang Xiaogang Bloodline (Two Comrades with red Baby), 1995 oil on canvas 150 by 180 cm.  National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (acquired in 2000) Zhang Xiaogang T ..read more

Zhang Xiaogang, Three Comrades (from ‘Bloodline: Big Family’ series), 1994 (detail) from the collection of the Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane Zhang Xiaogang: Early Works in Australia by Boris Cornelissen | 22 June 2020 Although Australian-Chinese political relations are currently tense, Australia has a long history of collecting and exhibiting contemporary Chinese artists. The exhibition ‘Mao Goes Pop: China Post 1989’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney in 1993 was one of the first major exhibitions of the influential group of ’85 New Wave artists outside of ..read more

Gerhard Richter Works in Australian Collections Gerhard Richter Gilbert & George, 1975 oil on canvas 80.4 by 100.4 cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (acquired from Konrad Fischer Gallery, Dusseldorf in 1976) Gerhard RichterAbstraktes Bild (424), 1977 oil on canvas 250 by 200 cm. Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide (acquired with the South Australia Government grant in 1979) Gerhard Richter Juno, 1983 oil on canvas 250 by 200 cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (acquired from Marian Goodman Gallery, New York in 2004) Gerhard Richter Abstraktes Bil ..read more

Gerhard Richter, Juno, 1983 (detail) from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Gerhard Richter: Abstraktes Bilder by Boris Cornelissen | 14 June 2020 There aren’t many Gerhard Richter paintings in Australian collections (five in total, spread out between the museums in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide), but they’re all of great quality. Moreover, they perfectly capture the various stages of Richter’s original engagement with colourful  abstract painting from the late 1970s through to the 1990s. See full list of Gerhard Richter works in Australian collectio ..read more

Martha Rosler Works in Australian Collections Martha Rosler  Cargo Cult (from Body Beautiful – Body Knows No Pain), 1966-72 c-print 99.5 by 77 cm.  Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (donated by Geoff Ainsworth AM 2018)  Martha Rosler House Beautiful: Giacometti (from Bringing the War Back Home), 1967-72 c-print 63 by 52.2 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (donated by Geoff Ainsworth AM 2015) Martha Rosler Balloons (from House Beautiful – Bringing the War Home), 1967-72 c-print 63 by 52.2 cm. Edition of 10, plus 2 artist’s pro ..read more

Cindy Sherman Works in Australian Collections Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still #3, 1977 gelatin silver print 16.1 by 24 cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (acquired in 1983) Cindy ShermanUntitled Film Still #35, 1979 gelatin silver print 16.2 by 23.3 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (acquired with the Mervyn Horton Bequest Fund in 1986) Cindy ShermanUntitled Film Still #46, 1979 gelatin silver print 17 by 23.2 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (acquired with the Mervyn Horton Bequest Fund in 1986) Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still #50, 1979 gel ..read more

Cindy Sherman, Untitled #92, 1981 (detail) from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberrra Cindy Sherman: The Australian Perspective by Boris Cornelissen | 7 June 2020 With works spanning from her early and seminal Untitled Film Stills to her more recent society portraits, Cindy Sherman is another artist who is exceptionally well-represented in Australian collections. Between the public collections in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, Australia is home to 18 of her works, including important historical pieces such as Untitled Film Still #3 and Untitled #92 from the ..read more

Andreas Gursky Works in Australian Collections Andreas Gursky Meerbusch, Krefeld, 1989 c-print 49.5 by 71 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (donated by the John Kaldor Family Collection) Andreas Gursky Dusseldorf, Flughafen II, 1994 c-print 144.9 by 190.4 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (donated by the John Kaldor Family Collection) Andreas Gursky Centre Georges Pompidou, 1995 c-print 103.7 by 198 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (donated by the John Kaldor Family Collection) Andreas Gursky Untitled V, 1997 c-print 185.4 by 442.6 cm. Collecti ..read more

Andreas Gursky, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, 1997 (detail), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Andreas Gursky: Stock Exchanges by Boris Cornelissen | 30 May 2020 As the global financial markets have entered another financial crisis, Andreas Gursky’s series of stock exchanges have once again become potent symbols of our global economic markets. This week I will be looking at two of the works from this series that are housed in Australia: ‘Chicago Mercantile Exchange’ (1997) and ‘New York Mercantile Exchange’ (1999), as well as what was once the largest collection of Gursky’s stock exchange ..read more