Portraits by John Brack
National Portrait Gallery, Old Parliament House
24 August 2007 – 18 November 2007

It is a curious fact that John Brack, once regarded as the archetypal Melbourne artist, has emerged in the last ten years as truly national figure.  In part this recent celebrity is due to his prominent place in the market – a factor of his limited production and the record prices achieved first with the sale of his iconic paintings The Bar 1954 and The Old Time 1970 when the paintings became the highest priced Australian works of art ever sold.   However Brack’s national stature has more to do with a belated appreciation of his evocation of a genuine Australian experience. Brack’s work is no longer seen as satirical and anecdotal even conventional observation. His unsentimental eye and penetrating and pointed descriptions are now appreciated as illustrating an authentic portrait of post-war Australia populated by real characters, unequivocally and honestly viewed. 

An exhibition of John Brack’s portraits will be on display from 24 August to 18 November 2007 at the National Portrait Gallery.  The exhibition will investigate the place of portraiture in Brack’s oeuvre and his approach to making portraits.  Works in a variety of media will be included in the display to demonstrate the breadth of the artist’s practice and how he capitalized on the unique properties of each medium to create his portraits.  The exhibition includes such striking works as Portrait of Fred Williams, and Barry Humphries in the character of Edna Everage 1972, the enigmatic Portrait of Hal Hattam, a group of revealing self portraits including the mysterious Inside and Outside 1972, as well as endearing portraits of the artist’s children.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a significant catalogue with essays by Helen Maudsley Brack, the artist’s widow, and Canberra academic, Dr Sasha Grishin, author of the definitive publication on Brack, The Art of John Brack.

Michael Desmond
Curator

Images from top: 
Portrait of a man (Fred Williams) 1958
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide A.M. Ragless Bequest Fund, 1963
© Helen Brack