Blue Poles : Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the painting that changed a nation
McIlroy, Tom2025
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In 1973, Blue Poles, the iconic painting by America's great abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, was acquired by the Australian government for A$1.4 million. This record-setting price for an artwork sparked a media sensation and controversy both in Australia and the United States. Blue Poles: Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the painting that changed a nation details how Jackson Pollock rose to fame, the negotiations that led to the artwork's move to the National Gallery of Australia, and the many successes and turbulent turns in between. This story covers Pollock's entree into an art circle which included renowned patron Peggy Guggenheim, as well as his relationship with artist Lee Krasner, and the larger-than-life accounts that surrounded his artistic practice - including questions around the creation of Blue Poles. It was Gough Whitlam's commitment to the arts and cultural capital that would see the painting move to another continent, where the media feasted on stories of its cost and brows were raised over its merit. The value of Blue Poles to the Australian art and museum landscape was yet to be foreseen.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
Sydney, NSW : Hachette Australia, 2025.
Collation:
280 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Introduction: the frick of the West Side'I taught Jack that'Bums didn't have as far to fallMother CouragePast, present, extended presentShipwreckedThe strange art of todayAvizandumWalking down Madison AvenueTurning pointsCrash through or crashThe Medici of the MonaroThe Philistines are not in powerA freak in a sideshowAustralian busybodyThe resulting hullabaloo'Drunks did it!'Afterword: the Mona Lisa of the Molonglo.
ISBN:
9780733651960 (paperback)
Dewey class:
701.03
Language:
English
Subject:
Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956Whitlam, Gough, 1916-2014Pollock, Jackson, 1912-1956 Blue polesPollock, Jackson, 1912-1956 -- Friends and associatesNational Gallery of Australia -- Art collectionsExpenditures, Public -- Australia -- HistoryArt -- Australia -- Public opinionArt and society -- AustraliaPainters -- United States -- BiographyGovernment aid to the arts -- Australia -- History -- 20th centuryArt and state -- Australia -- History -- 20th centuryPainting, American -- 20th centuryAustralia -- Cultural policy
BRN:
525834
More Information:
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penrith | Nonfiction | 701.03 BLU | Onloan - Due: 13 May 2025 |