Field Work: Australian Art 1968-2002

‘Fieldwork’ takes as its starting point August 1968 and ‘The Field’, the exhibition that ushered in a new era for the new National Gallery of Victoria and boldly demonstrated the NGV’s committment to contemporary art. ‘The Field’ was a courageous gesture, but within a few years Melbourne artists were protesting against the NGV’s attitude to contemporary art and its inadequate allocation of resources to local art. An August 1975 ‘sit in’ at the NGV was a culmination of a number of events involving contemporary artists and the NGV, and it was also a reflection of the times – artists responding to prevailing political and social conditions. This book tracks their responses from 1968 to the present. pp.159 illusts #0319