Announcement of the NGV’s 2016 Spring/Summer Program

Currently logged in. Logout

The anticipation is finally over! The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) have officially announced their Spring/Summer 2016 lineup including major surveys of John Olsen, Sally Gabori, Viktor&Rolf, and David Hockney.

At NGV Australia, a major survey of eminent Australian artist John Olsen will open in September, offering an unparalleled opportunity to examine Olsen’s consummate place in Australian art history. ‘John Olsen: The You Beaut Country’, will be the most comprehensive survey of Olsen’s work to date, tracing seven decades of energised creation from his first solo exhibition in 1955 to recent work, highlighting his spectacular re-imaginings of the Australian landscape. Along with paintings and works on paper, the exhibition will feature commissioned ceiling paintings, tapestries and ceramics, drawn from public and private collections throughout Australia. The exhibition reveals an artist who at 88 years of age has lost none of his passion for his subject matter, nor his creative vitality and retains a unique ability to capture the spirit of the Australian landscape.

In September, NGV also presents ‘Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori: Dulka Warngiid – Land of All’, a retrospective survey and celebration of the life and work of Sally Gabori (c.1924–2015) features over thirty works on loan from Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. The exhibition traces the stylistic trajectory of Gabori’s oeuvre, encompassing her earliest small-scale canvases of 2005, iconic large-scale collaborative works with other Kaiadilt women, her singular monumental canvases of daring colour juxtapositions, through to her almost monochromatic paintings and works on bark produced at the end of her career.

In October at NGV International, the dramatic, avant-garde creations of international luxury fashion house Viktor&Rolf will be showcased in a world-first exhibition developed in collaboration with the NGV. ‘Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists’ features some of the most show-stopping and innovative works by the Dutch design duo. The exhibition will include 35 haute couture pieces from the designers’ collections, presented alongside earlier designs from the Viktor&Rolf archive and international museum collections. Through these show-stopping and innovative works, revealing their rebellious approach to design, technical virtuosity and deep knowledge of fashion history. Also on display will be a selection of their work-in-progress ‘Dolls’, replicas of antique dolls dressed in the designers’ most iconic looks.

The Gallery will also present a major solo exhibition of one of the most influential artists of the past century, David Hockney, opening in November at NGV International.

The exhibition, curated by the NGV in collaboration with David Hockney and his studio, will feature more than 700 works from the past decade of the artist’s career – some new and many, never-before-seen in Australia – including paintings, digital drawings, photography and video works. Highlights of the exhibition include the monumental video piece The Four Seasons, Woldgate Woods, a breath-taking and immersive video installation showcasing the changing landscape of Hockney’s native Yorkshire, each season comprised of nine high-definition screens. Also on display will be more than 600 extraordinary and sometimes animated, iPad digital drawings of still life compositions, self-portraits and large-scale landscapes. A dedicated 35-metre long gallery lined with more than 80 recently painted acrylic portrait paintings of the artist’s family, friends and notable subjects including artists John Baldessari and Barry Humphries will also be a major highlight.

Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV said: “It is a privilege to collaborate with David Hockney, one of the world’s most celebrated and truly innovative artists, to develop this exhibition which features dynamic new works and highlights of his oeuvre from the past decade. His recent use of cutting-edge technology will provide an immersive experience for visitors and reveal the mastery and skill behind his ever-evolving practice.”

Other highlights of the Spring/Summer 2016 program include an exhibition of jewellery, film and photography from the collection of Bulgari; and ‘The Moving Garden’, a participatory installation by Taiwanese-American artist Lee Mingwei.

www.ngv.vic.gov.au