As a sector, we tend to think of ‘blockbusters’ as those exhibitions with the big tickets, big tourism and big traffic – the three Ts. But I have this compulsion to add an R in there for regional. Why should blockbusters be the exclusive domain of the major galleries in our cities?
There are many regional galleries that have proven that perception wrong – one just needs to look at the success of Bendigo Art Gallery over the years, and more recently HOTA Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast.
This week, Shepparton Art Museum announced that it will join the winter blockbuster cycle with the exhibition Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, a landmark show from Aotearoa New Zealand’s pre-eminent art gallery – and an exclusive.
Degas to Picasso – quick links
International blockbuster, but not so far to travel
This high profile exhibition makes the most of the gems within a collection that is ‘closer to home’, drawing upon Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki’s incredible holdings or master works by artists such as Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dalí, André Derain, Paul Gauguin, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.
For regional Australian museums, this approach is a great alternative to freighting works from Europe at extreme cost. Not to mention a rare chance for regional audiences to stand in front of works by the world’s greatest masters. Such as Pablo Picasso’s iconic portrait Femme à la résille (Woman in a hairnet) (1938), Paul Cezanne’s sunny pastoral landscape, La route (Le mur d’enceinte). The Road (The Old Wall) (1875-76) and André Derain’s explosive new take on the landscape with Paysage à l’Estaque (Estaque Landscape) (1906).
Read: The value of the regional blockbuster
Many of the works that will travel to regional Victoria in May have never before been shown in Australia, a number coming from an important gift to the gallery in 2023.
Dr Sarah Farrar, Auckland Art Gallery Head of Curatorial and Learning, explains: ‘These iconic works have become favourites at home, seen by more than 479,000 people on display in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland over the past two years. This tour takes them beyond our walls, creating new encounters for audiences who may not normally have the chance to experience them.’
Highlights of SAM’s modern master blockbuster
In Facing Modernity, audiences will encounter some of the key names that shaped the art movements of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism and post-war abstraction. The exhibition brings together 37 exceptional paintings and sculptures that capture the radical shifts in art from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, explains the gallery.
The drawcard for many will be the reveal of a major philanthropic gift from New York-based collectors Julian Robertson (1932-2022) and Josie Robertson (1943-2010), received by Auckland Art Gallery in 2023. These are works that have been in the private domain for an extended period, and for Australian audiences, it is an exciting opportunity to view a cohesive collection of modern masters in their outing here.
SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy says: ‘Facing Modernity offers a rare opportunity to encounter works by the defining figures of modern art; artists whose visions continue to shape how we understand creativity and human connection today.’
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki has a history of exchanging exhibitions with Australia, focusing on shared regional art, printmaking and significant contemporary indigenous works. Among the most significant were Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia with the National Gallery of Australia (2023) and My Country: Contemporary Art from Black Australia (2014) from Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art. Facing Modernity is the first from its collection of European master works.
