THE FIELD REVISITED

THE FIELD REVISITED 27.04.2018 - 26.08.2018

FREE ENTRY

The National Gallery of Victoria’s inaugural exhibition at its new premises on St Kilda Road in 1968 was The Field, the first comprehensive display of colour field painting and abstract sculpture in Australia. Regarded as a landmark exhibition in Australian art history, The Field was a radical presentation of 74 works by 40 artists who practised hard-edge, geometric, colour and flat abstraction, many of which were influenced by American stylistic tendencies of the time. With its silver foil–covered walls and geometric light fittings, The Field opened to much controversy and helped launch the careers of a generation of Australian artists, including Sydney Ball, Peter Booth, Janet Dawson and Robert Jacks. 18 of the exhibiting artists were under the age of 30, with Robert Hunter the youngest at 21 years of age.

Opening in April 2018, The Field Revisited recreates this landmark exhibition for its 50-year anniversary. By reassembling as many of the original 74 paintings and sculptures as possible, this restaging will reexamine the exhibition’s impact and significance for Australian art history and allow a new generation to experience it for themselves. Because some works included in The Field are known to have been destroyed, the NGV has commissioned a number of artists, including Normana Wight and Col Jordan, to recreate their original works for The Field Revisited. The Field Revisited is accompanied by a reprinted version of the rare and highly collectible 1968 exhibition publication alongside a new publication which reflects the importance of this exhibition over the past 50 years.