The Founder of the Archibald
Australia’s richest art prize was founded by a self-made miner turned journalist, who liked to pretend he was French. ENIGMATIC CHARACTERS ALL of the ARTS John Feltham Archibald was born …
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
She sang, she shredded on electric guitar, she killed live. She was also black, and bi-sexual, and a woman, at a time when it was hard to be any of …
The Magpie
Monet is a famous artist. ‘The Magpie’ is a key early work, that showcases his signature technique in development. It also features a magpie! ENIGMATIC CHARACTERS ALL of the ARTS …
The Man on the $2 Coin
Gwoya Tjungurrayi was a Warlpiri man from the Northern Territory desert. You’ve probably never heard of him, and yet, chances are, you know him by sight. ENIGMATIC CHARACTERS The Tanami …
The Matchbox Car Wall
On a back street in Adelaide’s CBD is an unlikely piece of public art; thousands of match box cars attached to the wall of a building. The creator? An eccentric …
Liardet’s Beach
Sailor, artist, businessman and iconoclast, Wilbraham Liardet was one of early Melbourne’s most unique inhabitants. ENIGMATIC CHARACTERS THE LOCAL FILES Wilbraham Frederick Evelyn Liardet was born in Chelsea, London, …
Wendy’s Secret Garden
Wendy Whiteley was a complex woman, most famous as Brett Whiteley’s wife. Among many achievements in an eventful life, is a remarkable secret garden that she created out of an …
Keith Haring: The Radiant Baby
Keith Haring was one of the most famous and significant artists of his generation. In 1984 he spent a month in Melbourne, and left behind an extraordinary legacy on a …
God Called His Name
William Edmondson was an African-American sharecropper from Tennessee. He worked odd jobs, was semi-literate, and was an unremarked on member of his community. Then, one day, God told him to …
The Beatles Bystander
On August 8, 1969, The Beatles were photographed crossing ‘Abbey Road’, shots that would form the cover of their final studio album. But in the background of this iconic image, …