Double Nation - A History of Australian Art

A beautifully illustrated introduction to Australian art history from colonization through today.

In Double Nation, Ian McLean traces the history of Australian art, from colonial art practice to twentieth-century national art. Two key themes structure the narrative: the transformation of British art practice into an Australian one and the troubled pursuit of the aesthetic means to claim an Indigenous heritage. Interrogating the canonical tradition, McLean asks why certain artists came to prominence while others have been neglected. In the process, he links the changing fortunes of artists to social and political developments both at home and abroad. With 170 illustrations, this book is an ideal introduction to the history of Australian art.

About the author

Ian McLean is the Hugh Ramsay Chair of Australian Art History at the University of Melbourne. His previous books include Double Desire: Transculturation and Indigenous Art (2014), How Aborigines Invented the Idea of Contemporary Art (2011) and White Aborigines: Identity Politics in Australian Art (1998, reissue 2009).

Summary

A major new account of Australian art, from colonial to national.

Product details

• Authors: Ian McLean
• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.05.2023
• EAN: 9781789146974
• ISBN: 978-1-78914-697-4
• No. of pages: 304
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Art history; Australia, ART / History / General, ART / Australian & Oceanian, History of art / art & design styles, History of Art, History of Art; australian art