The Field revisited

Melbourne : National Gallery of Victoria 2018. Two volumes in plastic slipcase, quarto, each with diecut wrappers, the first volume being a 144 page monograph on the seminal exhibition of Australian modernism held in 1968, the second volume being a 96 page facsimile of the rare original 1968 catalogue. Fine condition.

‘The National Gallery of Victoria’s inaugural exhibition at its new premises on St Kilda Road in 1968 was The Field, the first comprehensive display of colour field painting and abstract sculpture in Australia. Regarded as a landmark exhibition in Australian art history, The Field was a radical presentation of 74 works by 40 artists who practised hard-edge, geometric, colour and flat abstraction, many of which were influenced by American stylistic tendencies of the time. With its silver foil–covered walls and geometric light fittings, The Field opened to much controversy and helped launch the careers of a generation of Australian artists, including Sydney Ball, Peter Booth, Janet Dawson and Robert Jacks. Eighteen of the exhibiting artists were under the age of thirty, with Robert Hunter the youngest at twenty-one years of age. ‘ – NGV website

In 2018 the NGV reconstructed The Field exhibition with all locatable paintings (some of which are now lost or destroyed). This pair of catalogues quickly sold out. The original 1968 catalogue is now rare and a collector’s item.