The Academy, Limited

Abstract

catalogue raisonn6. The absence of complete credit lines to include provenance is also very frustrating for the serious user. The location and acquisition number are provided, but omitting the credit line leaves out important information about how the work was acquired; was it by gift, bequest, purchase, and if so, from which fund? Kirker's all too brief introductory essay signals the various ways in which works were acquired in this century (significantly, some were gifts of the Contemporary Art Society and the National Art Collections Fund in Britain), but we are not given this information with respect to individual works. I think it is significant that William Roberts's 'The Interval before Round Ten', 1919-20 was gifted to the Art Gallery of New South Wales by the Contemporary Art Society at the late date of 1965 (the gift was not processed until 1967) and that Stanley Spencer's 'Christ in Cookham', 1952 was purchased by Sydney that same year. Both works are illustrated. Only where a work is illustrated, does it carry a full entry. If the illustrations had been smaller, with fewer in colour (there are 30 colour plates), it may have been possible to illustrate all the works, and provide a more complete treatment. But it is likely that the authors were reliant on information and services provided by each gallery, which must have varied widely. And from a marketing point of view, the catalogue would have to contain decent illustrations, many in colour in order for it to appeal to a broader audience. In the end, it is a teaser that functions as jumping off point for more indepth research. It is interesting to note that two of these publications were supported by 'New Images', a year-long programme of events that highlighted the modern evolving relationship between Britain and Australia in 1997. British Painting was also supported by 'The Link New Zealand and Britain'. Nineteen ninety-seven also marked the fiftieth anniversary of the British Council in both Australia and New Zealand. In an increasing global world, with all its attendant instability, there seems to be a need to re-examine old ties and evaluate their significance while challenging the old stereotypes and updating perceptions. Australia is one possible model for effecting a transition in the way in which we consider contemporary art and (re-)write our histories.