Australian Painters of the Twentieth Century

'The sudden appearance of an Australian school of painting is one of these blessed events which help to free the arts from the iron grip of historical determinism. We now take it almost for granted. But less than fifteen years ago, when I told my friends in England that Australia was about to add something entirely fresh to contemporary painting, they thought I was way out of my mind'. So wrote Kenneth Clark in the foreword to the 1961 Whitechapel Gallery exhibition of Australian painting. It was a vital moment for Australian art. Clark had visited Australia in 1949 and had met Russell Drysdale and Sidney Nolan. For a nation just over two hundred years old, and with a comparatively small population, Australia has produced a remarkable number of exceptional painters. In fact, Australian art presents an array of talent that is a still-to-be-discovered treasure. The introduction by Lou Klepac examines the story of Australian art during this turbulent but exciting century and provides an historical context for the work of the artists featured in the book. Each artist is accorded 12 pages of reproductions and an essay by a recognised authority on Australian art.