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Visual Art

Artist shares her surprise after her design is picked for new NAIDOC collectible coin

A young Indigenous artist will have her work circulated in wallets around the country to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee.
A woman holds up a specially designed 50 cent coin

Making candles to honour an artist makes perfect scents for disability service provider

Art lovers visiting the National Gallery of Australia can now smell the inspiration behind one of its new exhibitions thanks to a line of scented candles.
Daniels wears a yellow fluro jacket and pours liquid from a small white bottle into a beaker in a warehouse.

Slashed oil paintings and souped masterpieces — is art vandalism ever justified?

Most of us find it hard to stomach seeing priceless artworks vandalised. But when we look back at the long history of attacking art in the name of protest, we seem to become far more lenient.
Two women on the left throw a can of red soup or paint at the Mona Lisa, cut out against a red background.

Exhibition of works from celebrated, if controversial, artist opens at National Gallery of Australia

Celebrated 19th-century Post-Impressionist French painter and sculptor Paul Gauguin is one of the world's most famous artists, but his works have been cast in a new light ever since troubling allegations of sex crimes emerged.
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An oil painting of three Tahitians, one in the centre with their back turned and one on either side looking forwards.

One of the most famous book covers in history just sold for nearly $3 million

Thomas Taylor was just 23 years old when he landed his first professional commission to illustrate the first Harry Potter book cover. It's now sold at auction for $2.8 million.
The watercolour painting featuring Harry Potter in front of the Hogwarts Express at Kings Cross Station

Paper drop cloth from original Mambo artist's studio becomes art in eye-catching collaboration

The paper drop cloths Robert Moore used to create art could easily have ended up in the bin if not for a painstaking process that has resulted in somewhat wearable and usable items.
Three shirts made from paper, one is red and white, two are black and white.

'I'll always be an artist': Elizabeth's hands were amputated, but it didn't stop her painting

The Sydney artist's children's book illustrations were detailed and realistic. But after a brush with a deadly infection, she adapted to a new painting style.    
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A woman sitting down drawing on a digital tablet using a digital pencil.

'It's the $64,000 question': Why do ancient statues have such teeny-tiny penises?

The world's most famous classicist helps unpack the mystery behind statue penis-size and shares her theory on why so many men are obsessed with the Roman Empire.
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The crutch of the statue of David, with an eggplant emoji over his genitals. A tourist with binoculars looks on

'There is a sacredness about the marbles': Why Stephen Fry thinks his country should return the Parthenon marbles

Fry is a long-term campaigner for the sculptures to be returned and supports the British Museum displaying exact replicas made by a team of archaeologists from 3D scans of the marbles.
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An older man with grey hair siles at the camera wearing a brown suit and a blue patterened tie. He stands in a dimly lit room.

Centaurs are transitional beings. One in particular captures ABC Classic's Ed Le Brocq's journey

Centaurs can represent wisdom and knowledge. Jaq Grantford's portrait of Ed Le Brocq as a centaur tells the story of personal transformation.
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Ed Le Brocq, smiling with arms crossed across chest, with black rimmed glasses, stands before large portrait of him as centaur.

'Mango tree': Strong criticism from cyclone survivors over $700k public art paying tribute to Cyclone Tracy disaster

On the 50th anniversary of one of Australia's worst ever natural disasters, hundreds of survivors have criticised a planned monument being built in tribute to the tragic event.
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a design of an orange sculpture with what appears to be mangoes hanging off it

'Pinch me moment': Matildas star honoured with a 14-metre mural in her home town of Wollongong

As Caitlin Foord prepares for her third Olympics, a stunning 14-metre-high mural in Wollongong celebrates her journey. The mural captures her dynamic style and features her beloved dog, Peach, inspiring young athletes to dream big.
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Woman standing in front of a mural of herself.

Here are 30 of the best snaps from this year's Food Photography Awards

A fisherman in Burma, a winery in France, and a wedding party in China are among the winning shots in this year's Food Photography Awards.
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An elderly Rendille woman holds her newborn goat outside her house in northern Kenya.

'Feels a bit like an invasion of privacy': Australians react to Meta's use of posts to train AI

If you're among the majority of Australians with Facebook or Instagram accounts, your social activity on those platforms might be training Meta's artificial intelligence (AI) tools — and if you live in Australia, you can't say no.
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FACEBOOK GENERIC PHOTO

Sydney Harbour 'iconographer' Peter Kingston honoured by new exhibition

An artist whose work captured the beauty of Sydney Harbour is being honoured two years after his death.
a woman looks a painting on a wall

'Today shows I wasn't completely crazy': Laura Jones wins $100,000 Archibald Prize for portrait of Tim Winton

Laura Jones has won the 2024 Archibald Prize for her portrait of Tim Winton.
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A woman in her early 40s - the artist Laura Jones - smiling and standing in front of her painting of Tim Winton

Bauhaus power couple to go on exhibit in Canberra

For the first time, Anni and Josef Albers will be honoured with a dedicated exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia.
Bauhaus Power Couple, NGA Exhibition: A bauhaus painting of concetric squares skewed downward.
Duration: 1 minute 43 seconds

Brendan collected dog-food tins for four years to create his junk festival masterpiece

It took Michelangelo four years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel — the same length of time for Brendan Penzer to collect enough cans to create his own masterpiece.
A man sits with two sculptures of dogs behind him.

How Japanese woodcut prints shaped two iconic Australian artists

The bold prints and scenes of ukiyo-e, the art form which rose to prominence in 17th and 18th century Japan, have left an indelible mark on Australian art.
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A Japanese woodblock print of an actor in kimono

Using cash and a chocolate bar, this Archibald finalist sketched a portrait of Julian Assange in prison

The WikiLeaks founder is the unlikely subject of a finalist in this year’s Archibald Prize. Here's how artist Shaun Gladwell covertly sketched him inside the walls of Belmarsh Prison.
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A portrait of Julian Assange, depicted as a hot air baloon with a dove, an Australian $5 note and the US flag across his face.

This farming town has found a way to reduce depression and improve wellbeing in the bush

When farmer Melissa Smyth's not out on her property on the South Australian-Victorian border, she can be found painting or creating mosaics in her shed. Her new-found passion for art was sparked by what's known as the Pinnaroo Project.
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A woman and her dog in a tractor

How the 'enigma' of his dad's job inspired Todd to paint a significant moment in Australia's energy history

Todd Fuller painted the portraits of 30 Liddell Power Station workers to mark the site's closure. The experience changed his perspective forever.
Two men standing next to each other. The man on the right has his hand on the left man's shoulder

Portrait of Baker Boy wins Packing Room Prize in 103rd year of the Archibald Prize

Victorian street artist Matt Adnate wins the $3,000 Packing Room Prize for his portrait of Baker Boy, as the full list of finalists for the 2024 Archibald Prize is revealed.
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Matt Adnate stands in front of a photorealistic portrait of Baker Boy, a young Aboriginal man.

'Nasty' and 'disturbing' response to mural along Adelaide beach condemned by mayor

The public response to a piece of street art in beachside Adelaide is under fire from the local mayor, who says both the artist and a resident opposed to the mural have been subjected to "online vitriol". 
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A jogger runs past a mural with orange, red and purple colours and a wattle flower on a seawall

We asked a seven-time Archibald finalist how to paint a portrait

Before this year's Archibald finalists are announced, we speak to a former finalist about all things portraiture — from choosing a sitter to adding the final touches.
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A white androgynous woman with bright blue hair stands in a carpark holding a colourful portrait of Virginia Gay.