Don’t miss Hard Edge: Abstract Sculpture 1960s-70s at NGV. The exhibition explores a period when sculptors experimented with new trends and embraced an adventurous style of abstraction, tending towards the minimal style seen in progressive capitals like New York City.
During the two decades, abstraction emerged internationally in painting, photography and music, with Australian artists also engaging and experimenting readily with this bold movement, which of course, wasn’t to everyone’s taste.
From Ron Robertson-Swann’s controversial ‘Yellow Peril’ sculpture to the dramatic machine-like forms of Lenton Parr, the 1960s and 1970s signalled a critical period for contemporary Australian sculpture.
‘Hard Edge captures a defining moment for Australian sculpture when artists began to shift away from traditional carved stone, wood or bronze and move towards modern materials and techniques, reflecting the advancements in technology throughout the 1960s and 1970s. This new style was characterised by often highly polished and brightly coloured abstract forms.’
– Tony Ellwood, Director NGV
Presented across two foyer levels at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, thirteen abstract sculptures from some of Australia’s key sculptors of the period are on display, including works by Clement Meadmore, Inge King, Jock Clutterbuck, Clive Murray-White, Lenton Parr, Ron Robertson-Swann, C. Elwynn Dennis and David Wilson.
Hard Edge is accompanied by an online essay and a range of public programs including floor talks.
Hard Edge: Abstract Sculpture 1960s-70s is on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia until July 2016. Open daily, 10am–5pm. Free entry. For more information, visit the NGV website.
Pictured at top: Jock CLUTTERBUCK Niagara (1970) aluminium 135.5 x 183.8 x 116.2 cm
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Presented as the winner of the Captain Cook Bicentenary Award for Sculpture, 1970 S7-1986 © Jock Clutterbuck, courtesy Australian Galleries, Melbourne
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