Capital history in the news
Exhibitions
Matisse and Picasso: artistic rivals at National Gallery of Australia's summer blockbuster | Another article about the NGA’s summer blockbuster Matisse Picasso. The exhibition depicts the artists’ relationship in three stages. The first shows their differences when they first met, the second explores their differing approaches to cubism, while the third looks at the years near Matisse’s death in 1954. Matisse Picasso runs until April 13 2020.
Australian of the Year 2020 finalists share personal items in exhibition at National Museum of Australia | The National Museum of Australia and National Australia Day Council has opened an exhibition featuring an item from each of the eight Australian of the Year finalists. ACT Australian of the Year, Katrina Fanning provided her rugby league jersey from the first women’s international test match in 1995 for the exhibition. Australian of the Year Awards 2020 is on at the National Museum of Australia until 16 February 2020.
Powerful exhibition draws from indigenous cultures | Ngulla Wellamunagaa, is the first exhibition curated by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). It celebrates the survival, continuity and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as told through 16 stories that affirm ongoing connections to county. Ngulla wellamunagaa is on at the National Museum of Australia until 29 March 2020.
Women’s history
Women the Great War left behind | Patricia Clarke writes about women of the Canberra region, who like many other Australian women, lost their husbands during the World War 1 and then struggled to cope without the emotional and financial support of their husbands. Their stories are told further in War Widows of the ACT: The Forgotten Legacy of World War 1, an online exhibition which has been produced by the Australian Women’s Archive Project.
A political anniversary
The election which shaped Australia for decades | Political historian Dr Norman Abjorensen’s article about the election of the Liberal-Country Party Coalition 70 years ago that resurrected Sir Robert Menzies and ushered in a dismal period for Labor.
Acknowledgement: The news item above about World War 1 war widows of the ACT notes that one option for war widows was to train for new occupations such as milliners. The image above shows a class of war widows undertaking this vocational training. It is called Millinery Classes for Soldiers' Widows (1919) and was compiled by the Australian Department of Repatriation. It comes from the State Library of Victoria and is out of copyright. See acknowledgement page for full details.
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