Today
The new Medici in art collecting? Investment banks in Australia
Bulge-bracket finance firms are defying global trends and investing in fine artwork. How do their Australian offices look?
This Month
David Rowe cartoons for April 2025
David Rowe is a multiple Walkley award-winning cartoonist. He draws a daily political cartoon and one for the Chanticleer column.
A record-setting photo and a $2.5m number plate
The biggest auction of the year so far delivered $10 million in sales and a record price for an iconic image, while a small plate brings a big price.
Biggest gift completes ‘unfinished business’ at National Gallery
The Canberra institution finally has a work by one of the 20th century’s most influential painters, Edvard Munch of The Scream fame, thanks to philanthropist Geoff Ainsworth.
Senior staff depart Art Gallery of NSW amid tension at the top
The chief operating officer and chief of staff have both left the institution following a change of directors.
Why the art market has an eye for crypto
Everyone wins: buyers avoid taxes, and auction houses make money.
NGV’s ‘Kusama’ to become biggest-selling art show
The 96-year-old Japanese woman, whom few Australians had heard of four months ago, is set to be responsible for the country’s most popular ticketed art exhibition ever.
March
From Annie to Zimmer: the must-see shows to catch in April
Take a break from the hard-knock life with our monthly selection of the best live entertainment around the country.
‘Shouted into submission’: Monash Uni stops Sabsabi show
The cancelled artist’s gallerist has blasted Creative Australia for not having his client’s back.
From £450 to $1m: Early Whiteleys emerge with a rich backstory
In 1961 the young Australian artist paid close attention to the pretty Californian art student who bought two of his works in London.
How to make the most of the south of France’s best art
From land art in the mountains to pop art on sun-soaked islands, here’s your guide to following the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur art route.
Inside the homes of Australia’s most connected art collectors
Ever wondered how to showcase artwork to let them shine? A new book peeks into the homes of prominent art collectors around the country.
Art Gallery Of NSW gets first female director after 154 years
Maud Page, the long-time deputy of outgoing director Michael Brand, has been selected to step up at the institution, which gets 2 million visitors annually.
The Australian gallery that made art fun turns 20
Sullivan+Strumpf co-founders Ursula Sulllivan and Joanna Strumpf have been turning the gallery scene on its head since their share-house days of wild parties.
130 years on, Australian art history comes out of the woodwork
An Arthur Streeton painting of a hallowed art location and a canvas that rocketed Brett Whiteley towards his eventual fame will be auctioned in April.
Whiteley, Quilty among artists collected by crime syndicate
Forget Lamborghinis or brass knuckles. This Melbourne drug syndicate preferred Australian paintings such as Ben Quilty’s Mazda 121, which has now made $73,621 for the Commonwealth.
A Canadian estate sale bargain is about to deliver a 200 times return
A wood carving snapped up at an estate clearance for the price of lunch turns out to be something quite rare and valuable.
Roy Lichtenstein delivers $2m payday for John Kaldor
At 89, one of Australia’s top arts philanthropists is downsizing his personal collection, starting with this “early Pop Art masterpiece”.
February
One couple’s decades-long devotion to Australian art has a new home
The Eva and Marc Besen Centre is a state-of-the-art gallery and storage space where back-of-house and front-of-house are one and the same.
David Rowe cartoons for February 2025
David Rowe is a multiple Walkley award-winning cartoonist. He draws a daily political cartoon and one for the Chanticleer column.