In 2008, when I first visited Canberra’s newly opened National Portrait Gallery, my first response was an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. I knew many of those paintings. They had once hung on the walls of the Art Gallery of New South Wales as part of the annual Archibald Prize exhibition, or been seen in the Salon des Refusés home to the best of the rejects.
Over 49 years I have seen the Archibald from both the inside, as a curator, and the outside as a critic. My first Archibald was in 1972, the year Clifton Pugh won with his portrait of Gough Whitlam. Along with other art history students, I had never been especially interested in this festival of popular culture, but as the recently appointed most junior of all curators my job was to administer the prize.
Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame sit for Archibald Prize 2021 smh.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smh.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Architecture news & editorial desk
Snøhetta continues their association with the global arts and cultural scene with two new projects that will see the international architecture studio add an art gallery in Adelaide, Australia and an arts centre in New Hampshire, USA to their substantial portfolio of extraordinary buildings.
Heysen Art Gallery, Adelaide
Hans Heysen Foundation had recently released the stunning concept designs visualised by the Adelaide-based studio of Snøhetta for the new Heysen Art Gallery in the Adelaide Hills. Located at The Cedars, the Hahndorf home of Hans Heysen and his daughter Nora Heysen, the gallery will be an inspiring tribute to one of Australia’s most revered and loved artists. The cultural precinct, which is being designed to recognise Heysen’s incredible contribution to Australia’s arts and cultural heritage, will include a purpose-built gallery, restaurant and gift shop, as well as bushfire-safe storage for artworks.