Art
Book Details

The Art of the Collection

State Library of Victoria Pictures Collection

State Library of Victoria with Richard Aitken, Leigh Astbury, Ashley Crawford, Graeme Davison and Brenda Niall

Foreword by the State Library of Victoria

The State Library of Victoria’s Pictures Collection documents the history of Victoria and its people from the early years of the colony to the present day.

Opinion

‘The book's presentation is visually engaging and its content is intellectually stimulating. . .a wonderful achievement’ Sasha Grishin, The Canberra Times 19/1/08

'This book does what all good art books should: makes you want to go back for another look' — The Age 8/12/07

About this Title

The Art of the Collection is a celebration of the State Library of Victoria's Picture Collection - the oldest visual documentary collection in Australia. Acting on its mandate to collect and preserve Victoria's documentary heritage, the Library acquires paintings, maps, diaries and documents that showcase all facets of Victorian life, past and present.

The Library has an extensive collection of art works and a permanent display of 150 works in the Cowen Gallery. The works illustrate Victoria's landscape, early Melbourne scenes, and significant events and figures in the European exploration and settlement of Australia.

The works range from early eighteenth and nineteenth century portraits, busts to contemporary portraits and scenes of Melbourne and Victoria from the 1800s until now. Works of some of our most celebrated and talented Australian artists are in the collection and showcased in this book: Eugène von Guérard, John Glover, Frederick McCubbin, Albert Tucker, Ian Fairweather, Lina Bryans, Jan Senbergs, Juan Davila and Howard Arkley to name but a few.

About the Author

Ashley Crawford is an art critic, curator and writer. He regularly writes for the Age, Art Monthly and is the author of several books.

Graeme Davison has taught at the University of Melbourne, Harvard University, where he was Visiting professor of Australian Studies, and at Monash University. His main interest is in the history of cities in Australia, Britain and the United States. He is the author of The Rise and Fall of Marvellous Melbourne, The Unforgiving Minute: How Australia Learned to Tell the Time and Car Wars: How The Car Won Our Hearts and Conquered our Cities and an editor of Australians 1888 and the Oxford Companion to Australian History.

One of Australia's best known writers, Brenda Niall is the author of four award-winning biographies. She has an AO (Order of Australia) for services to Australian literature and is the author of many book including Georgiana, The Boyds, Martin Boyd, Judy Cassab and the recently published Life Class.

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978-0-522-85359-9