Can a visionary act of philanthropy transform print scholarship and curatorial practice? This symposium will explore this question.

About

This symposium, Prints, Printmaking and Philanthropy, celebrates 50 years of The Harold Wright and The Sarah and William Holmes Scholarships by focussing on three broad themes - print exhibitions, print collections and print presses - and seeks to trace the influence of philanthropy in shaping Australasian print culture. In one of the largest gatherings of print scholars, curators, artists and printmakers ever seen in Australia, a range of topics will be addressed from historical and contemporary perspectives. These include: the complex links between Australia and Britain's print networks, experimentation in 'DIY' print practices, local post-war print communities in Melbourne, examinations of the habits of print collectors, the latest in-depth research on eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century printed images and their provenance, as well as a major focus on the evolving role of the master-print workshop in an Australian context.

Dominion Press, [Mr and Mrs Harold Wright at Sir Lionel Lindsay's exhibition, London], 1946, silver gelatin photograph, Reg. no. 1986.0037 16/180, University of Melbourne Archives
Dominion Press, (Mr and Mrs Harold Wright at Sir Lionel Lindsay's exhibition, London), 1946,
Silver gelatin photograph, Reg. no. 1986.0037 16/180, University of Melbourne Archives

ABOUT THE HAROLD WRIGHT AND SARAH & WILLIAM HOLMES SCHOLARSHIPS

This year marks the 50th anniversary of a ground-breaking act of philanthropy. After the death of the print dealer, collector and scholar, Harold Wright (1885-1961), his wife Isobel (née Holmes) followed his wishes by using the proceeds from the sale of his personal print collection to establish a scholarship in his name. She also established another honouring her parents, Sarah and William Holmes. These prestigious print scholarships are administered by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne.

The expressed intent of The Harold Wright and The Sarah and William Holmes scholarships is to allow recipients to simply 'carry out an intensive study of prints at the British Museum for a period of up to twelve months'. This self-directed study program in the British Museum's Prints and Drawings Department has proved transformative for print culture in Australasia. For five decades, Australian and New Zealand print curators and scholars have grasped this unique opportunity to enlarge and enrich their understanding of the history of prints through direct experience of exemplary works of art, while also gaining entrée to the world of international print scholarship, which has resulted in alumni forming lifelong professional and personal networks.

Past recipients are now leading national and international print curators and academics, and many of them will come together at this symposium, alongside other academic and curatorial colleagues, artists, collectors and printmakers, to celebrate the anniversary of the scholarships and their remarkable impact on Australasian print culture.

Program and speakers

Full symposium program

Keynote speakers

Roger Butler (National Gallery of Australia, Canberra)

ROGER BUTLER
Roger Butler
(National Gallery of Australia, Canberra)

Roger Butler AM is the Senior Curator of Australian Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Australia. During his 38 years at the National Gallery, he has established the foremost collection of prints, posters and book arts of the Australasian region. He has written widely on Australian prints, curated exhibitions and lectured on the subject as well as participating in arts organisations.

A past President of the Print Council of Australia (1986-90), Roger Butler is the initiator and has been the convenor of the Australian Print Symposiums held at the National Gallery regularly since 1989. In 1997 he initiated the WEB access project http://www.australianprints.gov.au, in 2001 The Gordon Darling Fellowship for the study of Australasian Prints, and in 2002 the Gordon Darling Graduate Internship. All are key initiatives in making the Australian print collection at the National Gallery widely known and accessible.

DAVID MASKILL
David Maskill
(Victoria University, Wellington)

David Maskill (Victoria University, Wellington)

David Maskill (Harold Wright Scholar 2003), was senior lecturer in art history at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand from 1993-2019. He has published a series of articles on Harold Wright in The Journal of the New Zealand Art History, the Melbourne Art Journal and Print Quarterly. He is also a print collector.

David Maskill's keynote presentation is the 2019 Ursula Hoff Lecture

Irena Zdanowicz
(Independent curator and writer, formerly National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne)

IRENA ZDANOWICZ
Irena Zdanowicz
(Independent curator and writer,
formerly National Gallery of Victoria,
Melbourne)

Irena Zdanowicz is an independent curator and writer, formerly Senior Curator, Prints and Drawings Department, National Gallery of Victoria. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, from 1968 until 2001 she worked as a curator at the National Gallery of Victoria, first in the Department of Decorative Arts and then in Prints and Drawings, where, for the last twenty years, she was Senior Curator and Head of department. Since leaving the NGV she has continued to work as a curator and writer. In 2003 she collaborated (with Stephen Coppel) on the Fred Williams catalogue for the British Museum, and in 2007 curated the Masters of Emotion: Exploring the Emotions from the Old Masters to the Present for Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, and wrote the accompanying catalogue. Since then she has worked on two major projects: an online catalogue raisonné of the prints of Rick Amor, and part two of the Bea Maddock catalogue raisonné (i.e. her work from 1984 to 2016). The first part of the Amor catalogue (intaglios) was published in July 2017, and the online catalogue raisonné of the late work of Bea Maddock is now being constructed.

Ted Gott (Senior Curator of International Art, National Gallery of Victoria)

Ted Gott
Ted Gott
(Senior Curator of International Art,
National Gallery of Victoria)

Ted Gott has curated and co-curated 25 exhibitions, including The Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay (2004), Kiss of the Beast: From Paris Salon to King Kong (2005), Modern Britain 1900-1960 (2007), Salvador Dalí: Liquid Desire (2009), Gustave Moreau and the Eternal Feminine (2010) and Napoleon: Revolution to Empire (2012). He has published widely on Australian, British and French art. In 1991 he curated the exhibition The Enchanted Stone: The Graphic Worlds of Odilon Redon at the National Gallery of Victoria. He is currently writing a new biography of Odilon Redon for Reaktion Press, London.

Registration

Registration for the symposium has now closed.

Attendance at the symposium includes:

  • Four keynote lectures, ten sessions, two masterclasses, a book launch, and a viewing of the exhibition: Horizon Lines: the ambitions of a Print Collection.
  • Morning tea and afternoon tea

Anniversary celebrations

Horizon Lines: Marking 50 Years of Print Scholarship
Horizon Lines: Marking 50 Years of Print Scholarship

In addition to the symposium, the University is celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Harold Wright and The Sarah and William Holmes scholarships with an exhibition of Old Master prints and works of the Etching Revival (some donated by Harold Wright) titled Horizon lines: the ambitions of a print collection, currently on show at the Baillieu Library (from 31 July to 8 December 2019).  This fascinating exhibition includes many fine examples of Northern and Renaissance printmakers, including Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt, and encourages visitors to adopt the careful, comparative scrutiny of connoisseurs like Harold Wright when viewing works of art.

Complementing this exhibition is a major book, Horizon Lines: Marking 50 Years of Print Scholarship, featuring essays on the history of print practice and collecting from the 15th to 20th centuries, written by fourteen former award recipients, and edited by Kerrianne Stone, Curator, Prints for Scholarly Services, The University of Melbourne.

At the British Museum, there will be a Harold Wright Scholarship Celebration display, in gallery 90a, which is scheduled to take place at the end of the year, during November 2019-January 2020. Details about the works on display, which have been selected by past scholarship recipients, will become available closer to the date.

Acknowledgements

The symposium is presented by the Australian Institute of Art History with assistance from The University of Melbourne's Students and Scholarly Services.

The symposium convenors are Alison Inglis, Kerrianne Stone, and Victoria Perin.

These anniversary events have been generously supported by the University and a number of charitable organisations and individuals, and the symposium convenors wish to acknowledge:

  • The Colin Holden Charitable Trust, The Ursula Hoff Institute, The S. R. Stoneman Foundation, Meryll andNorman Wodetzki, Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Trinity College and the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Arts, School of Culture and Communication, the Australian Centre, the Victorian College of the Arts and Centre of Visual Arts (CoVA)
  • The publication, Horizon Lines: Marking 50 Years of Print Scholarship, is generously supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation and Meryll and Norman Wodetzki
  • The exhibition, Horizon lines: the ambitions of a print collection, is presented by Kerrianne Stone and the University's Students and Scholarly Services

Gordon Darling Foundation logoUrsula Hoff logoS R Stoneman

Trinity college logoSofitel Melbourne On Collins logoCoVA logo

Getting around

Location

The symposium will be held in the Forum Lecture Theatre, Room 153, Arts West (Building 148) on the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus.

Forum theatre


Open map page

Travel Options

  • Getting into the city from the airport

    Skybus

    From Melbourne Airport, take SkyBus to the Melbourne city terminal situated at Southern Cross Station (in Spencer Street). This normally costs approximately $18.00 each way, and does not need to be booked in advance. For information about the public transport services which run to and from Melbourne Airport, including SkyBus and bus routes 478, 479, 500 and 901, please see the Public Transport Victoria Airport buses web page.

    Taxis

    A taxi from the airport will take around 40 minutes and will cost approximately $50.00. Taxi ranks are located on the ground floor outside Terminals 1 and between Terminals 2 and 3.

  • Public transport to the University

    Please note: Please be aware there are road closures and major works in Grattan Street.

    The best way to get to the University is by public transport. Trams run along Royal Parade and Swanston Street.

    The University is located outside of the Tram Free Zone in the CBD. You will need a myki card when travelling on public transport in Melbourne. You can buy and top up a myki:

    1. At all 7-Eleven stores, plus other retailers displaying the myki sign
    2. At myki machines (full fare only) at all metropolitan train stations
    3. Online
    4. By calling 1800 800 007 (6am - midnight daily, all night Friday and Saturday)
    5. At Melbourne Airport, myki machines have been installed in Terminals 2, 3 and 4; concession myki cards can be purchased from the SkyBus Terminal.

    Public Transport Victoria (PTV) has useful resources; a Journey Planner and Tram Tracker.

    How to travel to Melbourne University Parkville campus

    Bicycle routes

    The University has plenty of bicycle parking across the campus. For more information please see the Sustainable Campus Cycling/Walking web page.

    Bicycles can be hired through the Melbourne Bike Share system at the University and at several locations around the city. Helmets are required by law, and can be purchased for $5 from 7-Eleven stores, vending machines and the Nona Lee Sports Centre (Building 103), Tin Alley at the University. Helmet locations are listed on the FAQs for Bike Rental Options in Melbourne web page.

    Car Parking

    On-street parking is very limited. There are multi-storey car parks within walking distance of the University. For more information please see the University's Parking on campus web page.

    Taxis

    There is a taxi rank outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Grattan Street. Major Melbourne taxi companies include:

    • 13 Cabs - 13 2227
    • Arrow - 13 2211
    • Black Cabs Combined - 13 2227
    • Yellow Cabs - 13 1924
    • Maxi Taxi - 13 6294
    • Wheelchair accessible taxis - 9277 3877

    Rideshare

    Install the Uber app on your smart device.

Contact

For more information about the symposium please contact:

Alison Inglis, Art History
Email: asi@unimelb.edu.au