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Christopher Allen has been The Australian’s national art critic since 2008. He is an art historian and educator, teaching classical Greek and Latin. He has written an edited several books including Art in Australia and believes that the history of art in this country is often underestimated.

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Review

Anton Domenico Gabbiani (Italian, b.1652, d.1726)Glorification of the Corsini Family: sketch for the ceiling fresco of the Presentation Room of the Palazzo 1694-1695oil on canvas129 x 100 cm (framed)116 x 86 cm (unframed)Galleria Corsini, FlorenceARt Gallery of WA Corsini

Family fortune out of vault

The wealthy Florentine Corsini family has weathered turbulent centuries, and is sharing its large collection of art.

Christopher Allen

Review

Robert Smithson : Spiral Jetty 1970 (still)

Delving into deepest time

Robert Smithson’s art was concerned not with living things or humans, but the fathomless depths of geological time.

Christopher Allen

Review

George Stubbs (after) Unknown (etcher) The kanguroo, an animal found on the coast of New Holland 1773

Pathos of a new natural world

While this show evokes the pathos of indigenous dispossession, there is a more pervasive pathos in a new-world science.

Christopher Allen

OpinionOpinion

DAILY TELEGRAPH - Pictured is the winner of the Archibald Prize, Yvette Coppersmith with her self portrait at the Art Gallery of NSW today. Picture: Tim Hunter.

‘Embarrassing in its ineptitude’

Can a group of people who think that Yvette Coppersmith’s work deserves the Archibald really be responsible for a state gallery?

Christopher Allen

Review

Claude Monet, France, 1840-1926, The magpie, 1868-1869, oil on canvas, 89 x 130 cm, Purchased by the French state, 1984, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France, photo: © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski

In a different light

Monet’s secret is a harmonisation of tone and hue. His lights and darks are suffused with colour.

Christopher Allen

Review

Margaret Olley’s Interior (1974), with a Ray Crooke painting on the mantelpiece.

The inside story retold

Interiors make us ponder the power of objects to evoke life, and the way we surround ourselves with certain objects.

Christopher Allen

Visual Arts

Archibald Prize 2018 finalist Robert Hannaford, 'Robert Hannaford self-portrait' oil on canvas 184 x 122 cm Â© the artist Photo: AGNSW, Jenni Carter *** EMBARGO: 12 NOON, THURSDAY 3 May 2018 *** This image may only be used in conjunction with editorial coverage of the 2018 Archibald Prize competition, on display 12 May â€“ 9 Sep 2018, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This image may not be cropped or overwritten. Prior approval in writing required for use as a cover. Caption details must accompany reproduction of the image. Media contact: Kamal.Rana@ag.nsw.gov.au *** Local Caption *** This image may only be used in conjunction with editorial coverage of the 2018 Archibald Prize competition, on display 12 May â€“ 9 Sep 2018, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This image may not be cropped or overwritten. Prior approval in writing required for use as a cover. Caption details must accompany reproduction of the image. Media contact: Kamal.Rana@ag.nsw.gov.au

The portrait that stands out

How the Archibald hanging might be explained to a distinguished visitor from France.

Christopher Allen

Review

Tamara Dean, Elephant ear (Alocasia odora) in Autumn, from the series In our nature, (April 2017), Adelaide Botanic Garden, pure pigment print on cotton rag, 150 x 200 cm. 2018 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Divided WorldsCourtesy the artist and Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney.

The home advantage

After a triennial in Melbourne and the Sydney Biennale, the Adelaide Biennial turned out to be a rather different experience.

Christopher Allen

Review

Masterpieces from the shelf

Bookplates, placed inside books and only visible to those who share your library, imply a certain intimacy.

Christopher Allen

Review

World without meaning

The title, and the premise, of this year’s Sydney Biennale illustrate just what’s wrong with the world of art curation today.

Christopher Allen

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/christopher-allen/page/40