wow factor

Renovations to the Musée d'Orsay post-impressionist galleries provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

Musée d'Orsay is loaning the Canberra NGA 114 works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat, Pierrre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Maurice Denis and Edouard Vuillard.

Via: ABC News

This blockbuster follows The Triumph of Landscapes held last year and proves there are some benefits to living in Canberra.

It's that time of the year. Portrait art meets the masses, the punters and everyone with an opinion about art.

Archibald 2009 Portrait Competition

Best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics

The warm up prize has already been decided.
Archibald Prize 2009: Packing Room Prize Winner

Click the image for a larger popup.

2009 Packing Room Prize winner. Paul Jackson's Flacco’s chariot

The Packing Room prize gives the Gallery staff who receive the entries for Archibald the chance to vote for their favourite Archibald portrait. This is the Gallery’s head storeman, Steve Peters’ 25th Archibald Prize and his 18th Packing Room Prize

The full online presentation of the Archibald Finalist are here.
I agree with the bookmakers that Guy Maestri's Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu may win.

Update: The winner is..
Guy Maestri's painting of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu as featured below.

Click the image for a larger popup.

Guy Maestri's Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

His work left me depressed and inspired, at the same time.

via: A Populist's Legacy

Today we visited Turner to Monet.

Five rooms featuring works by the great landscape artists of the 19th century.
The experience left me calm, surprised, inspired and enriched.

Constable, Roberts, Streeton, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Pissarro, Turner and many others...

Congratulations NGA

This weekend I'm visiting the Turner to Monet exhibition.

The following will no doubt effect my appreciation.....

Record price for Monet at auction - ABC News

A masterpiece by French impressionist Claude Monet sold for $US41.4 million ($AU43.6 million) at auction in New York overnight

Click the image for a larger popup.

Monet - Le Pont Du Chemin De Fer A Argenteuil