Artists’ Artists

Ben Quilty was born in 1973 in Sydney. He emerged in the early 2000s with a breakthrough series of 14 paintings of his beloved 1972 Holden LJ Torana. Working across drawing, printmaking, sculpture and installation, Ben exhibits prolifically both locally and internationally, exploring imagery and ideas that are at once personal, political and cultural. The National Gallery has been collecting Quilty’s work since 2007.Artworks discussed:Emily Kam Kngwarray, Anmatyerr People, Yam awely 1995, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, gift of the Delmore Collection, Donald and Janet Holt 1995 © Emily Kam Kngwarray/Copyright AgencyClarice Beckett, Evening Landscape c 1925, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Purchased 1974John Glover, Mount Wellington and Hobart Town from Kangaroo Point 1834, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Nerissa Johnson Bequest Fund 2001, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and National Gallery of AustraliaDavid Hockney, A Bigger Grand Canyon 1998, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased with the assistance of Kerry Stokes, Carol and Tony Berg and the O'Reilly family 1999 © David Hockney

Jenny Watson is an Australian artist who has been painting for more than four decades. Born in Melbourne in 1951, her work is inspired by punk and feminism, her memories and dreams, fantasies and fears—and in particular her love of horses. She employs collage, text, self-portraiture and humour to create powerful narratives about growing up in the suburbs and making her way in the world. In 1993 she was the first female artist to represent Australia in a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale.  Works of art discussed:Jackson Pollock, Blue poles 1952, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1973 © Pollock-Krasner Foundation. ARS/Copyright AgencyRobert Jacks, Grey grid 1974, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, gift of Daniel Thomas, 1980 © Robert Jacks/Copyright AgencyJeffrey Smart, Playground (Children playing) 1951, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased with the assistance of James Agapitos OAM and Ray Wilson OAM 2007 © The Estate of Jeffrey SmartHal Missingham, Artist’s outing, Sydney Harbour 1969, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1974 © The estate of Hal Missingham

Urs Fischer was born in Switzerland in 1973. Now based in Los Angeles, he creates works of art from materials as varied as gesso, photography, latex, paint, bronze, clay, steel, dirt, and even food. His wildly original, often humorous images and objects can disorient, bewilder, and often amaze. He's possibly best known for his ephemeral wax candle sculptures, which gradually burn down while they're on display, before being recast. In 2018, the National Gallery acquired Fischer's four metre high wax candle sculpture, Francesco.Works of art discussed:Charles Conder, Bronte Beach 1988, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased from Gallery admission charges 1982Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra, Luritja/Warlpiri peoples, Water Course 1972, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, the Peter Fannin Collection of Early Western Desert Paintings, 1998 © the estate of the artist, licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency LtdSidney Nolan, Collage from “The Disciple” c 1939, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1992 © Sidney Nolan TrustSalvador Dali, Lobster telephone 1936 National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1994 © Salvador Dalí. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí/Copyright Agency

Juz Kitson was born in Sydney, and divides her time between the Australian south coast and Jingdezhen the ‘porcelain capital’ of China. Her intricate, evocative sculptures—which she creates from materials including porcelain, fur, paraffin wax, silk, resin, glass and bone—begin, she says, from ‘gathering resources, experiences, and connections—human connection, connection to land, and connection to different customs and culture’. The result is a body of work that explores, in the artist’s words ‘sex, the nature of humans and animals, ideas of womanhood, birth and death’. The National Gallery has five of her works in its collection. Works of art discussed:Sarah Lucas,TITTIPUSSIDAD 2018, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2021 © Sarah Lucas, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London Rosemary Laing, flight research #6 1999, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2001 © Rosemary LaingLouise Bourgeois, Tracey Emim, Carolina Nitsch Editions, Dyenamix, And so I kissed you 2009-10, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2020 © Tracey Emin/Copyright AgencyPaul Greenaway, Sumo and Sabrina 1977, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Crafts Board Collection donated by the Australia Council 1982

Archie Moore was born in 1970 in Toowoomba, Queensland and is of Kamilaroi and Bigambul heritage. He works across media in conceptual, research-based portrayals of self and national histories. His ongoing interests include key signifiers of identity (skin, language, smell, home, genealogy, flags), the borders of intercultural understanding and misunderstanding and the wider concerns of racism. In 2024, Moore represented Australia at the Venice Biennale; his exhibition, kith and kin was awarded the Golden Lion for best National Participation. The National Gallery has collected Moore’s work in depth since 2012.Works of art discussed:Ramingining Artists, Djon Mundine, Bandjalung people, The Aboriginal Memorial 1987–88, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/CAnberra, purchased with the assistance of funds from National Gallery admission charges and commissioned in 1987 © Ramingining artists/Copyright AgencyLucy Griggs, Suprematist people 2011, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, the Rotary Collection of Australian Art, 2012Leah King-Smith, Bigambul people, Untitled No 3, 1992, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberi/Canberra, KODAK (Australasia) PTY LTD Fund 1994 John Armstrong, Unless goats are fenced properly they will eat trees and sculptures, 1976, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1976

The Indonesian ceramic artist Albert Yonathan Setyawan was born in 1983 and is based in Tokyo, Japan. His monumental installation Shelters 2018-19  was commissioned for the national collection in 2018. In this episode of Artists’ Artists, host Jennifer Higgie chats with Setyawan about ideas of repetition, silence and materiality in four very different works from the national collection. To find out more visit www.nga.gov.auArtworks Discussed: Giorgio Morandi, Natura morta [Still life] 1956, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1980 © Giorgio Morandi. SIAE/Copyright Agency Wolfgang Laib, Milk stone 1980, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1981 Lucie Rie, Vase c.1979, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1979 Agnes Martin, Untitled # 4 1977, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1977 © Agnes Martin. ARS/Copyright Agency 

Bridget Riley is a British artist who was born in 1931 and lives in London, UK. The National Gallery has 15 works of art by Riley in its collection, including the new acquisition Dancing to the music of time 2022. In this episode of Artists’ Artists, host Jennifer Higgie visits Riley in her London home to talk about four works of art from the national collection that mark seminal moments in the artist's career. To find out more visit www.nga.gov.auArtworks Discussed: Howard Taylor, No horizon 1994, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1997 © Howard H. Taylor EstateBridget Riley, Gamelan 1970, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1971 © Bridget Riley 2022. All rights reservedGeorges Seurat, Study for Le Bec du Hoc, Grandcamp 1885, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased from proceeds of The Great Impressionists exhibition 1984Jackson Pollock, Blue poles 1952, purchased 1973 © Pollock-Krasner Foundation. ARS/Copyright Agency

Danie Mellor is an Australian artist of Ngadjon and Mamu heritage who was born in 1971 and lives in Bowral, NSW. There are 33 works of art by Mellor in the national collection, including An Elysian city (of picturesque landscapes and memory) 2010 and five metal‑work sculptures. In this episode of Artists’ Artists, host Jennifer Higgie speaks with Mellor about four works of art in the national collection that creatively respond to the culture and politics of their time. To find out more visit www.nga.gov.au.Artworks Discussed: John Mawurndjul AM, Kuninjku (Eastern Kunwinjku) people, Rainbow Serpent's antilopine kangaroo 1991, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1991 © John Mawurndjul/Copyright AgencySidney Nolan, Boy and the moon c.1939-40, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1976 © Sidney Nolan TrustMargaret Preston, Shoalhaven Gorge N.S.W. 1953, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1983 © Margaret Rose Preston Estate/Copyright AgencyAnselm Kiefer, Abendland [Twilight of the West] 1989, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1989