Review
It is hard to make Picasso surprising - but this remarkable show succeeds
He may have dominated the 20th century like no other painter, but Picasso saw himself as a talent that could not be constrained by time.
- by John McDonald
Latest
This Picasso show gives you all the clues to find the man behind the myth
Picasso was seen as the progenitor of modern art: prolific, audacious, revolutionary, passionate, intuitive, a metaphorical matador with a licence to be cruel.
- by Robert Nelson
The reject shop: The works the Archibalds didn’t want
The parade of discards includes one image that would be an excellent model for the official portrait of the outgoing prime minister.
- by John McDonald
Enjoy your sculptures by the sea? Wait until you see them in the Snowies
The creators of the sculpture trail along Sydney’s east coast have turned their attention inland to one of Australia’s renowned beauty spots.
- by John McDonald
‘Alive with vibrations’: the pandemic art that remade our city’s laneways
Flash Forward, a pandemic project from the City of Melbourne, turned ugly corners of the CBD into dazzling works of art.
- by Robert Nelson
Sure, the Archibalds are fun, but here’s a portrait show you shouldn’t miss
Art critic John McDonald writes that one rarely sees a touring blockbuster with so many high-quality works.
- by John McDonald
A fitting farewell for artist whose death has left an unfillable hole
Hossein Valamanesh, one of Australia’s most versatile and respected artists, died of a heart attack earlier this year.
- by John McDonald
Opinion
Spectrum
Forget sportsmanship, winning was everything at the original Olympics
A new exhibition shows the ancient Greeks were mad keen sports fans who won by means fair or foul.
- by John McDonald
Art from public spaces reveals our fears, and the dispossessed
The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art has mounted a show that delves into our country’s troubled relationship with public space.
- by Robert Nelson
Inside the world’s largest private collection of modern Chinese art
The works on show in White Rabbit Gallery’s latest exhibition are on a scale that justifies the title: Big in China.
- by John McDonald
Coco Chanel’s manifesto shows a woman of style with substance
A blockbuster exhibition of the works of Gabrielle Chanel at the National Gallery of Victoria, is a good reason to visit Melbourne.
- by John McDonald