MONA Removing Nolan’s Snake

A Sidney Nolan artwork which sat in storage for 40 years until it was unveiled at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art in 2011 is being taken down. The spectacular mural is comprised of 1,620 individual paintings, which when hung as a polyptych creates a snake winding subtly across the paper mural.

MONA is the brainchild of eccentric millionaire gambler David Walsh, his acquisition of Snake was the catalyst for the museum.

Nolan’s serpent mural, Snake, was hung on a purpose-built 40 metre wall, it’s been a centre-piece of the museum which opened two years ago. Snake was described as a major structural component of the museum and one of the Nolan’s best, most dramatic works by Mr Walsh.

Snake will be replaced by an installation from the Japanese digital artist Rioji Ikeda in June 2013. If you haven’t had a chance to view Nolan’s spectacular work, hurry! More info: www.mona.net.au

Rodney Pople’s Martin Bryant Painting Wins Glover Prize

Australia’s most notorious mass murderer Martin Bryant is depicted in the work that has won Australia’s richest annual landscape painting prize. The Glover Prize is the richest annual prize for landscape painting in Australia. It is awarded for the work judged the best contemporary painting of the Tasmanian landscape. The winner receives $35,000 as well as handsome bronze maquette of colonial artist John Glover, Glover is regarded as the father of Australian landscape painting.

The Glover Prize 2012 was awarded to Launceston-born artist Rodney Pople for his landscape painting of Port Arthur showing Bryant in the foreground holding a gun.  The judges say the decision was unanimous and said it shouldn’t create controversy. Pople’s painting shows Bryant, holding a gun in the foreground. Bryant killed 35 people at Port Arthur in 1996. Pople accepted the award at a ceremony in the northern Tasmanian town of Evandale where The Glover Prize exhibition is held each year in March.

“It wasn’t painted to upset anybody, but if it does I hope that they see the painting was painted in the light that doesn’t glorify Martin Bryant,” Polpe said. ”He’s part of the landscape so why ignore it, people said to me ‘you should never do that if you’re painting’ and I said ‘well, I’m the sort of artist who doesn’t really pull any punches’, art through the ages to me that says anything cuts through the ice.”

Some of the finalists for the 2012 prize  include, Julie-Anne Armstrong-Roper, Raymond Arnold, Wendy Black, Nicholas Blowers and Bruno Leti. Check the Glover sites exhibition page for currnet hangings: www.johnglover.com.au/the_shows/

Kick Gallery Presents: Damian Vincenzi Origins

Damian Vincenzi is a photographer of the natural world who captures and brings to our attention the omnipresence of this timeless land. In Origins, Vincenzi rearranges and re-orientates the vantage point from which we look at his photographic works, and in turn our relationship with the objects and subjects he chooses to photograph. Through this process of manipulating his nature based images, Vincenzi creates and leads us into a place of other worldly landscapes and figures. Read the full article »»»»

SWEVEN: The Ultimate Retreat, Australia’s Most Exclusive River House

It has to be close to holiday time - please, please, please – that in mind, 2 of my most favourite things – architect Timothy Moon and the Hawkesbury River – have banded together to create the ultimate River House. This bespoke home is even kitted with it’s own treehouse.

Set on the idyllic Hawkesbury River, just 45 minutes from the Sydney CBD – SWEVEN – a hand crafted, contemporary family river house, with spacious open plan living areas, an abundance of window and decking allowing you to take in the amazing Australian bush setting. The house has a  relaxed indoor outdoor feel, complimented by lush, original furnishings. SWEVEN has a decadence you’d expect to find in a city house.

The Hawkesbury River - seriously one of my favourite places on the planet – winds it’s way around the 100 acres that SWEVEN is sat upon, the property has it’s own private beach and an abundance of vista, infact almost every place you stand on this property is a photo-op.

Being surrounded by such opulence, with nature added in for balance, gives SWEVEN an instant-calming feel. Floating in the pool has to be the most mesmerizing, calming notion I’ve had in years. Perhaps it was the cocktails they kept handing me, I’d like to think that it was the meditative gaze the sky and I had going on. Read the full article »»»»

Former Art Dealer Ronald Coles Charged With $8m Artwork Fraud

A former Sydney art dealer has been released on bail after being charged over a multi-million dollar investment fraud. Police say 64-year-old Ronald Coles sold investors valuable artworks that had either already been on-sold to others or were already the property of others. More than 40 investors allegedly lost a combined total of more than $8 million. Coles was arrested by officers from Strike Force Glasson which was established in 2009 with Fraud and Cybercrime Squad detectives to investigate the alleged artwork investment fraud. Police say they began investigating in early 2009, with 400 paintings seized while officers established who legitimately owned them. Coles was arrested this morning at Gosford Police Station on the New South Wales central coast. The Ettalong resident has been charged with 77 counts of larceny and 10 counts of cheat and defraud.

Ronald Coles was one of Australia’s leading art dealer, under the crimes act Coles face 77 counts of Larcenya s a bailee and a further 10 counts of director/officer cheat or defraud. Coles specialised in fine art, and dealt with some of Australia’s most respected artist, including Sir Arthur Streeton and Brett Whitely. Read the full article »»»»