Published on Tuesday, 22 July 2025 at 2:24:52 PM
The Albany Town Hall will host an exhibition of significant Australian artworks when The Antipodean Manifesto: Works from The State Art Collection opens on July 25.
Running until September 6, the exhibition features paintings, drawings, prints and ceramics by the seven artists who formed the Antipodean group in Melbourne in 1959.
Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, David Boyd, John Brack, Robert Dickerson, John Perceval and Clifton Pugh presented their only joint exhibition that year, accompanied by The Antipodean Manifesto, a statement written by art historian Bernard Smith.
The manifesto opposed non-figurative art, arguing that recognisable imagery was essential to painting, and warned that growing popularity of abstraction could marginalise figurative artists.
They asserted the importance of subject matter and theme, viewing abstract works as leading “to the death of art”.
City of Albany Visual Arts Officer Indra Geidans said the exhibition offered visitors a chance to explore this pivotal moment in Australian art history.
“This exhibition sheds light on a passionate debate that shaped post-war Australian art,” she said.
“It’s an opportunity to consider whether the questions raised by the Antipodeans about abstraction and figuration still resonate with audiences today.
“We’re excited to bring these striking works to Albany and hope people will come along, be challenged, and maybe even see something that surprises them.”
Curated from The State Art Collection held by The Art Gallery of Western Australia, the exhibition situates the Antipodean artists’ work within the social and political landscape of late 1950s Australia, inviting contemporary audiences to revisit their ideas.
The Regional Exhibition Touring Boost (RETB) program is supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
For more information about the exhibition visit artsandculture.albany.wa.gov.au.
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