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Review

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When was the last time a soap ad gave you spiritual pleasure?
Opinion
Visual art

When was the last time a soap ad gave you spiritual pleasure?

Alphonse Mucha made the bold claim that his posters turned the street in “open-air art exhibitions”.

  • by John McDonald

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Master or monster: The artist equally loathed and revered
Opinion
Spectrum

Master or monster: The artist equally loathed and revered

Call it charisma, presence or personal magnetism. Paul Gauguin had it in abundance.

  • by John McDonald
Do we care about the Archibald Prize too much?
Opinion
Opinion

Do we care about the Archibald Prize too much?

The best interpretation one may put upon this phenomenon is that it’s a bit of fun, but it is a worrisome trend because the prize becomes the public standard by which art is judged.

  • by John McDonald
This is a monumental exhibition worthy of its monumental subject

This is a monumental exhibition worthy of its monumental subject

Pharaoh – the British Museum’s largest-ever loan exhibition – is quite exceptional. A monumental subject has brought forth a monumental feat of exhibition design.

  • by John McDonald
Archibald winner’s style perfectly matched to subject Tim Winton

Archibald winner’s style perfectly matched to subject Tim Winton

The win signifies a return to the quaint, old-fashioned notion that a portrait should be a good likeness.

  • by John McDonald
Two of Australia’s great artists lead exhibition full of echoes

Two of Australia’s great artists lead exhibition full of echoes

Cutting Through Time explores affinities between Cressida Campbell, Margaret Preston, and Japanese printmakers.

  • by John McDonald
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It’s a gas! Laughs and gasps fill the Regal for this smart update of a classic play

It’s a gas! Laughs and gasps fill the Regal for this smart update of a classic play

A clever and subtle reworking of Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 psychological thriller that gave us the term gaslighting makes for an entertaining night of theatre.

  • by Mark Naglazas
Artist’s iconic images still feel as fresh as the day they were made

Artist’s iconic images still feel as fresh as the day they were made

Once seen, Sally Robinson’s works are never forgotten.

  • by John McDonald
All sizzle but no substance: An art critic’s take on King Charles’ portrait

All sizzle but no substance: An art critic’s take on King Charles’ portrait

At first glance I thought the palace was on fire, with Charles looking strangely pleased as he was engulfed in flames.

  • by John McDonald
Mona Lisa, where are you? In Lecco, as it turns out

Mona Lisa, where are you? In Lecco, as it turns out

A mash-up of geology and art history has allowed a geologist to pinpoint the likely setting for one of the world’s most famous paintings.

  • by Ali Watkins
Hedonist or intellectual? The MCA’s new exhibition will sort you out

Hedonist or intellectual? The MCA’s new exhibition will sort you out

In A World Undone, Nicholas Mangan tackles the big issues of our time with a formidable intelligence but with a dry sense of aesthetics.

  • by John McDonald