January
The art curator building bridges between China and the world
X Zhu-Nowell, the unconventional artistic director of a Shanghai cultural institution, is on the lookout for artists from the Asia-Pacific region.
- John McDonald
Former child actor becomes producer of a $1.7b show
Katrina Sedgwick played the first HIV-positive character on Australian TV. Now she’s running the $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation Project.
- Michael Bleby
December 2024
Long dead, Jackson Pollock finally makes it to Paris
We all know about Blue Poles but a new retrospective at the Musée Picasso shows the troubled path the great abstract expressionist took to painting it.
- Tom McIlroy
Crowded House to A Christmas Carol: shows to see in December
Nutcrackers and Messiahs abound this month, but a fitting way to cap this cost-of-living year might be a night with Ebeneezer Scrooge. Or there’s always Neil Finn.
- Updated
- Michael Bailey
Major Sydney gallery to charge entry fee for first time in 25 years
From January 31, visitors to the Museum of Contemporary Art will have to pay $20 to get in. Chairwoman Lorraine Tarabay blames a decline in government funding.
- Michael Bailey
The replicas that could end the Elgin Marbles row
The Greek and British governments are thought to be close to clinching a deal to return the treasures to Athens.
- Simon de Bruxelles
November 2024
What this ballerina eats backstage during The Nutcracker
Jill Ogai’s weekends are spent rehearsing, walking the dog and watching Disney+. And stocking up on lolly snakes.
- Hannah Tattersall
Why Mick Jagger and Yves Saint Laurent loved this Marrakech hotel
This hidden boutique hotel where the rooms are dedicated to cultural icons doubles as an art gallery with a $10m collection.
- Ute Junker
Where did all the Jeffrey Smart paintings go?
Over the past decade, on average, 15 of the artist’s oils have sold each year, but only three have sold in 2024.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
October 2024
The Aussie at the helm of the world’s wealthiest art museum
Timothy Potts oversees an extensive collection of European art, photography – and holograms – at The Getty in LA.
- Tony Davis
September 2024
Seven must-see shows this October
From a Bette Davis cabaret, to Celine Dion on the Titanic and a takeover in the Adelaide Botanic Garden, there are plenty of reasons to leave the house this month.
- Michael Bailey
‘We’re not Logos by the Sea’: How to make arts sponsorships work
Transfield’s exit from Sydney Biennale in 2014 started a torturous recent history for corporate support, but there are still successful exceptions.
- Sue Williams
- Opinion
- Opinion
There is a compromise for disputes like the one at MSO
Art is meant to disrupt, but audiences must be free of interference too. There is a time and a place for both.
- Patrick Langrell
August 2024
- Exclusive
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
How the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is tearing itself apart
War erupted on the board of one of Australia’s most prestigious arts institutions long before the public upheavals over a pianist’s remarks about Gaza.
- Myriam Robin, Michael Bailey and Patrick Durkin
Save the date for a feast of shows in September
From Spiderbait to Sweeney Todd, Oscar Wilde to David Williamson, our pick of the best shows around the country will put a spring in your step.
- Michael Bailey
July 2024
He was terrified of planes, but Boyd’s works could fly at auction
Seven paintings by celebrated Australian artist Arthur Boyd are going under the hammer in Melbourne on July 24.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
Escape the crowds with an intimate tour of a pop legend’s Paris home
For the first time since his death, the unchanged abode of musician Serge Gainsbourg is open to the public, with his daughter as your guide.
- Kate Hennessy
June 2024
What triggered the PM to say he opposes ‘cancel culture’ in the arts
The prime minister has used the opening of a major exhibition in Canberra to defend the problematic legacy of French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin.
- Tom McIlroy
Do view this at home: How the video art market works
Gone are the days when you needed a gallery-sized space to view digital art.
- Rachael Bolton
Paris recaptures its position as global centre of contemporary art
Move aside London and New York. Post-Brexit, the French capital is reaping the benefits of major investment into its cultural identity.
- Brook Turner