Author event with Margot Osborne

Anything but parochial: the triumphs and tribulations of contemporary art in Adelaide 1939 to 2000.

In her new book The Adelaide Art Scene: Becoming contemporary 1939-2000, published in late 2023 by Wakefield Press, editor and principal author Dr Margot Osborne set out to uncover the previously untold narrative of the art, the artists and the arts institutions in Adelaide across six decades from the outbreak of the Second World War to the final decade of the 20th century.

The purpose of the work is to investigate and make apparent the cultural context in which art was made, reviewed, exhibited, and purchased across those six decades.

A recurring theme is the challenge for progressive artists in finding support for their art, making a living and establishing a national reputation in a small, geographically isolated city.

A ‘must have’ book for all interested in the Adelaide Art Scene comprising an impressive 740 pages with 300 illustrations, with commissioned chapters of new writing by Dr Osborne and sixteen South Australian art historians and specialists, complemented by From the Archives, a selection of published writing about Adelaide’s art scene from across the decades, with appendices that include artist biographies, a chronology, list of exhibitions and index.

Dr Margot Osborne has a Masters and PhD from the University of Adelaide, and is a Visiting Research Fellow.

Please note this event is 6pm for a 6:30 start.