"For the Love of Drawing' A Symposium"
For the Love of Drawing is a free public symposium featuring presentations from Andrew Sayers and other leading experts in the field of drawing.
The symposium will be held on Friday 11 April, 2 – 5.30 pm at the Hayden Allen Lecture Theatre (The Tank), and will be followed by a reception and exhibition viewing at 6pm with drinks, live music and canapes at the Drill Hall Gallery, Kingsley Street, Acton.
The symposium celebrates the Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 Years of the Dobell Prize for Drawing exhibition, on view at the Drill Hall Gallery from 11 April to 18 May.
For the Love of Drawing is proudly presented by the College of Arts and Social Sciences and the Drill Hall Gallery.
Bookings
The event is now fully subscribed.
Contact
T 02 6125 6978
E externalrelations.cass@anu.edu.au
The symposium
| 2pm | Welcome by Karen Wann, Chair of the Trustees of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation |
| 2.10pm | Dobell and his Legacy by Paula Latos-Valier, Board Member of the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation |
| 2.45pm | Curating a Blockbuster of Drawings: "Michelangelo to Matisse" by Terence Maloon, Director ANU Drill Hall Gallery |
| 3.30pm | TEA BREAK |
| 4pm | Drawing in Australia: Sketches Towards a New History by Andrew Sayers |
| 4.45pm | Michelangelo and Renaissance Drawing by Dr Louise Marshall, University of Sydney |
| 5.30pm | BREAK |
| 6 - 7.30pm |
Exhibition launch at the Drill Hall Gallery Reception with drinks and live music |
The exhibition
The exhibition Contemporary Australian Drawing: 20 Years of the Dobell Prize for Drawing on view at the ANU Drill Hall Gallery (11 April-18 May) surveys participants and prize winners of an annual acquisitive drawing competition funded by The Sir William Dobell Art Foundation.
The 20th anniversary of the Dobell Prize for Drawing was marked by this touring exhibition in which Dobell's own achievements as a graphic artist are also highlighted. The exhibition was initiated by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, curated by Hendrik Kolenberg and Anne Ryan, and toured by Museums & Galleries NSW. It celebrates the sheer diversity of contemporary drawing practices, with excellence and vitality displayed across the board.
The Sir William Dobell Art Foundation was established upon the death of William Dobell in 1970 for "the benefit and promotion of art in New South Wales", according to the terms of his will. It was a deliberately broad brief and decisions regarding projects that the Foundation would fund were left to the discretion of trustees. Tony Clune, Dobell's sole executor, appointed Charles Lloyd Jones and Franco Belgiorno-Nettis as trustees, while Dobell's biographer, the artist James Gleeson, was appointed Art Director and Thelma Clune, archivist.
The Foundation was established from the proceeds of the disposal of Dobell's estate, which included an auction of works from his studio. Dobell's work had become increasingly popular with collectors, and the sale was held three years after his death, at the (then) new Sydney Opera House, ensuring the greatest possible attention. It was also the first auction conducted by Sotheby's in Australia.
In his will, Dobell suggested a broad range of possible activities for the Foundation, including the establishment of an art prize or prizes, but his intention was to allow the trustees of the Foundation to use their own judgment in allotting funds to various projects for the encouragement of Australian art and artists. Over the years the Foundation has sponsored many diverse projects. The Dobell Prize for Drawing at the Art Gallery of NSW was largely the initiative of the Foundation’s first Art Director, James Gleeson. Established in 1993, it pays due recognition to the importance of drawing in William Dobell's art, as well as encouraging excellence in draughtsmanship by artists working now.
In 1982, in honour of Dobell, the Sir William Dobell Chair of Art History was established at ANU, dedicated to both the roles of teaching and research.