Reaching from his early adventures in colour as a fauvist through to the serene and distilled designs for his chapel in Vence, the exhibition follows Matisse’s search across six decades. Through paintings, drawings, sculptures and a compelling presentation of his triumphant cut-outs, it reveals how Matisse renewed his vision time and again across his long career, seeking new ways of celebrating the seen world and expressing the energy he felt in it.

Highlights include the especially important early work Le Luxe I 1907; the mid-career masterpiece Decorative figure on an ornamental ground 1925; and the majestic self-portrait, The sorrow of the king 1952, one of the largest of the famous cut-outs that the artist created in his late career.

Filled with brilliant colour, dynamic energy, visual joy and emotional power, Matisse: Life & Spirit is an inspirational journey through the life and art of this ceaselessly inventive and life-affirming painter.

This exhibition is made possible with the support of the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Part of the Sydney International Art Series, bringing the world’s most outstanding exhibitions to Australia, exclusively to Sydney.

Matisse: Life & Spirit – Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris
20 November 2021 – 13 March 2022
Major exhibition gallery, Art Gallery of NSW
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

Through masterworks from collections worldwide and the Gallery’s own rich holdings, Japan supernatural introduces an astonishing array of phenomenal beings from fiendish goblins through to mischievous shapeshifters. Come face to face with these mysterious creatures in an immersive environment featuring large-scale installations and classic Japanese cinema and animation, alongside miniature carvings, humorous paintings and the vibrant ukiyo-e woodblock prints that define the tradition of the supernatural in Japanese art.

Centred on a monumental installation of painting and sculpture by Takashi Murakami, the exhibition features some of the greatest Japanese artists of the past including Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Kawanabe Kyosai, alongside contemporary artists Chiho Aoshima and Miwa Yanagi who update the tradition for our times.

Japan Supernatural
2 Nov 2019 – 8 Mar 2020
Art Gallery of NSW
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

It was probably the world’s first full-length feature film in 1906: The story of the Kelly gang. Australian cinema thrived during the silent era but the industry went into decline in the late 1920s as ever-expanding US and British production companies took over distribution and exhibition, often excluding Australian product from local cinemas. By the end of the 1960s, Australia had virtually no feature film production. The intervention of the Gorton and Whitlam governments in the early 1970s rescued the industry from oblivion. Taking advantage of this re-invigorated production climate, a new breed of independent filmmakers sought to reflect the complexity of history, thought and culture in Australia.

Screening in conjunction with the exhibition The photograph and Australia, the documentaries and feature films in this series sought to raise questions, redress gaps in recorded history, bring uncomfortable truths to the fore, register social change and depict contemporary realities. They cast a new light on the historical events, people and ideas that shaped Australia’s history during the 20th century.

Film series: Brought to light
29 March – 3 June 2015
Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au