Lurid Beauty: Australian Surrealism and its Echoes

By Daniela Bonetto in collaboration with National Gallery of Victoria

‘Let me not call you lovely. Be the chaos of the dream that knows nor nature nor lurid beauty. (…)’

Max Harris, 1940

Let Me Not Call You Lovely

The location is Europe, the time is post WWI, the emergence is of a key artistic movement called Surrealism. A significant movement of the 20^th century, Surrealism had a considerable impact on Australian art. Back in 1939, the then director of the National Gallery of Victoria declared that surrealism was, “the work of degenerates and perverts”. This was following seeing the painting of Salvador Dali titled, ‘Memory of the Child – Woman’.

The importance of the unconscious as a source of inspiration is central to the nature of Surrealism. Lurid Beauty: Australian Surrealism and its Echoes explores the profound influence Surrealism, from its historical origins to the present day, has had on Australian art. The exhibition identifies particular subjects and approaches begun by Surrealism taken up by subsequent generations of artists, including contemporary Australian artists.

Surrealism started in Europe in 1929 and soon spread around the world. It shook up the staid Australian art world of the 1930s, struck a chord with artists during the traumatic war years of the 1940s, and continued to appeal to artists during the 1950s who explored the movement through sculpture and biomorphic forms. Surrealism’s echoes and reverberations continue to be felt into the present day, with its rich legacy evident in the practice of some of Australia’s most exciting contemporary artists.

Approximately 250 works are included, by more than eighty artists, embracing a gamut of media; from painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and printmaking to fashion, installation and video. Juxtaposing historical and contemporary works, the immersive exhibition will showcase the work of artists including Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Max Dupain, Eric Thake, James Gleeson, Julie Rrap, Pat Brassington, Leigh Bowery and David Noonan. Presenting historical and contemporary art in dialogue and correspondence, Lurid Beauty is an exuberant exploration of Surrealism and its echoes, reverberations and repercussions in Australian art.

NGV Australia

Until – 31 Jan 16

ngv.vic.gov.au