MoMA masterpieces on show in Perth's AGWA

PERTH ups the ante on its cityscape and cultural scene as it plays host to a collection of masterpieces from New York's MoMA, writes Fleur Bainger.

Salvador Dali's Illumined Pleasures, 1929 Picture: Supplied

IT'S not often you get to hang out with Dali, Riviera, Picasso and Warhol all under the one roof. Especially when Kahlo, Ernst and Kandinsky are there too. But drop in to Perth's Art Gallery of Western Australia and you'll be doing just that.

The exhibition Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond: The World Reimagined is a collection of
130 works hand-picked from New York's lauded Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

The masterpieces by nearly 100 artists have been sent direct to the western capital for an exclusive showing until December 2. Fittingly, it comes at a time when Perth itself is being reimagined, with a dynamic mix of new rooftop hangouts to soak up the sunshine, edgy basement bars for those in the know, cafes where they only serve short blacks and laneways draped in street art. But more on that later.

The exhibition is a jaw dropping selection of some of the most remarkable creations in the history of art that challenged traditional ideas of what landscapes, still lifes and portraiture actually were.

"Van Gogh, at the time, was considered the most idiotic of painters because he painted blue mountains," says AGWA director, Stefano Carboni, chuckling. "But don't you love it now? That's the way the pace has changed. You have artists who really lead the way in creativity and imagination. I'm sure if these 96 artists were all here in Perth, they would see the city changing at a very fast pace."

Carboni and his team have set up the exhibition to charm, alarm and surprise. Van Gogh's The Olive Trees strikes you the moment you enter the room, sided by Paul Cezanne's Still Life with Ginger Jar, Sugar Bowl and Oranges. On the opposite wall, Toulouse-Lautrec's iconic madam, La Goulue at the Moulin Rouge fixes her gaze on you. Texture and movement leaps from every canvas. "We start with three works that were revolutionary in the late 19th century," says Carboni. "Then we show how the pace accelerated from then on - the 20th century is the fastest period - and then we end the exhibition with three works that summarise the last 15 years.

"That's when we challenge the people with Urs Fischer's apple and pear (real halves of fruit bolted together, hanging from the ceiling). They're now the same thing that van Gogh was 120 years ago."

Carboni Among them are the futurist work, Development of a Bottle in Space by Boccioni, Miro's Still Life - Glove and Newspaper and Giacometti's The Artist's Mother. The crowd pleasers, though, are more likely to be Warhol's screen print of the King, Double Elvis, Picasso's recognisable Violin and Grapes, Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair and Dali's mind bending Debris of an Automobile Giving Birth to a Blind Horse Biting a Telephone. "Being an artist, by definition, is not being conservative," says Carboni, prescient as ever.

Just as the world was is seen through these artists' eyes, Perth itself is being more than reimagined. It's being reborn.

Streets are scattered with people enjoying the sort of lively urban scene that hasn't been seen since WA's 1890s gold rush. Bars and restaurants are opening on a weekly basis as the thirst for a more mature, more adventurous scene is embraced. Carboni, who left a life in New York and moved to Perth five years ago, senses the change keenly. "My initial perception of Perth was that of a big country town," he says.

"I had the impression that everything happens during the day, then by 5pm everyone goes home. It's amazing the way the city has changed."

Only minutes' walk from the gallery, rooftop bar Mechanics Institute, accessed via a street-art curated laneway in Northbridge, attracts a laid-back hipster crowd.

Cross the train tracks (which are in the process of being sunk) towards the CBD, and VENN concept store on Queen St is serving cocktails to a chic crowd who gaze at contemporary art exhibitions between rounds. Carboni names it as one of his favourite places, due to the quirky art-bar combination.

On parallel King St, a new basement bar, Varnish on King is attracting fans of artisan grunge and whiskey - they stock 110 styles. They also only serve espressos, albeit with three different types of sugar.

Set back from the business thoroughfare, St George's Terrace, the new Brookfield Place development is another pumping hub favoured by Carboni. The mash up of bars, eateries and slick restaurants includes the boho Bar Lafayette, the refined Print Hall restaurant and another bustling rooftop, Bob's Bar.

Life is being breathed into Perth at an exciting pace, just as the art of the 20th century reformed conceptions and assumptions surrounding creative pursuits.

The WA gallery itself is following suit, burning the midnight oil each Friday so hip patrons can swing by for a wine and a viewing after hours, while live music and comedians play. "It's happening, so it's about going for it," says Carboni of Perth's reinvention. "Clearly, something has changed."

GO2 - WA

Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond: The World Reimagined runs until December 2. Get your tickets through Ticketek or at the AGWA Box Office.

Mechanics Institute

Varnish on King

VENN

Brookfield Place (Bar Lafayette, Print Hall, Bob's Bar)

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