A unique history of the Australian art market since World War II. Van den Bosch traces the development of the Australian art market from a small, parochial outpost to its integration into the major international art markets.

A unique history of the Australian art market, The Australian Art World combines an understanding of the work of professional Australian artists with a detailed analysis of the forces that drive the markets in which their work is sold. In Australia after 1960 the relationship between artists and their society was altered as the expectations and tastes of the Australian public changed. The activities and expansion of National and State art galleries also instituted firm links with the market, through the promotion of the aesthetic values of Australian art and the establishment of artists' reputations. With the opening of Australian offices of Christie's and Sotheby's in the 1970s, and the recognition of Aboriginal art by collectors, the Australian art market was integrated into the major markets based in London and New York it is now part of a global market. Annette van den Bosch traces the impact of the post-war development of the international art market, the rise of the major auction houses, the influence of wealthy collectors and the establishment of price indexes. Essential reading for anyone involved in the art industry in Australia, The Australian Art World will also appeal to readers with an interest in art history, audience research, public policy, cultural economics and investment. Nobody has written in quite the same depth or in quite the same context about the evolution of the Australian art market. So this book will fill an important gap in the literature on the visual arts in Australia.' David Throsby is Professor of Economics at Macquarie University It both enriches and challenges many of our long-held preconceptions about the way the art world was and the way it now is. It fills the gaps, it completes the big picture and it is essential subject reading.' William Wright, Sherman Galleries

Traditional postcolonial scholarship on art and imperialism emphasises tensions between colonising cores and subjugated peripheries. The ties between London and British white settler colonies have been comparatively neglected. Artworks not only reveal the controlling intentions of imperialist artists in their creation but also the uses to which they were put by others in their afterlives. In many cases they were used to fuel contests over cultural identity which expose a mixture of rifts and consensuses within the British ranks which were frequently assumed to be homogeneous. British Art for Australia, 1860–1953: The Acquisition of Artworks from the United Kingdom by Australian National Galleries represents the first systematic and comparative study of collecting British art in Australia between 1860 and 1953 using the archives of the Australian national galleries and other key Australian and UK institutions. Multiple audiences in the disciplines of art history, cultural history, and museology are addressed by analysing how Australians used British art to carve a distinct identity, which artworks were desirable, economically attainable, and why, and how the acquisition of British art fits into a broader cultural context of the British world. It considers the often competing roles of the British Old Masters (e.g. Romney and Constable), Victorian (e.g. Madox Brown and Millais), and modern artists (e.g. Nash and Spencer) alongside political and economic factors, including the developing global art market, imperial commerce, Australian Federation, the First World War, and the coming of age of the Commonwealth.

Describes the art of the Australian Aborigines including rock painting and engraving as well as sand and bark painting; also discusses the symbolism found in these works.

During the First World War the Australian Government established an official war art scheme, sending artists to the front lines to create a visual record of the Australian experience of the war. Around two thousand sketches and paintings were commissioned and acquired between 1916 and 1922. In Painting War, Margaret Hutchison examines the official art scheme as a key commemorative practice of the First World War and argues that the artworks had many makers beyond the artists. Government officials' selection of artists and subjects for the war paintings and their emphasis on the eyewitness value of the images over their aesthetic merit profoundly shaped the character of the art collection. Richly illustrated, Painting War provides an important understanding of the individuals, institutions and the politics behind the war art scheme that helped shape a national memory of the First World War for Australia.

The Australian art market is booming. New galleries and art spaces are opening all the time and more and more people are collecting art than ever before. But how can would-be buyers and experienced collectors alike keep abreast of the country's many galleries and the artists they represent? With full reviews of stand-out galleries and a state-by-state listing of over 800 recognised galleries, artist-run spaces and studios, Reid's Guide to Australian Art Galleries is the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to Australia's commercial art world. Also included are listings of the country's significant national and regional galleries and museums as well as framers, conservators, auction houses and other art-related businesses, and essays on everything from making money in the art market to the joys and challenges of running an Aboriginal art centre. Reid's Guide to Australian Art Galleries is an indispensable and practical resource for buying art. No art lover should be without a copy.