Modernism and Australia Art, Design and Architecture 1917–1967

This collection of 200 papers introduces the ideas of modernism and its influence on Australia. The main players of the time period from 1917-1967 convey in their own words the tensions, aspirations and paradoxes behind the reception of modernism. Each document is accompanied by expert commentaries from the editors. The first anthology covering modernist art, design, and architecture in Australia, it chronicles the dogged institutional resistance that greeted modernism, particularly in the fine arts, and yet reveals a surprising acceptance of modernism in the commercial realms.

Ann Stephen is an art historian and curator at the Powerhouse Museum. She is the author of On Looking at Looking: The Art and Politics of Ian Burn and co-author of The Necessity of Australian Art. Andrew McNamara teaches art history and theory at QUT in Brisbane. He is the co-editor of Medium Cool and editor of Scott Redford Selected Works 1983-1992. Philip Goad is a professor of architecture at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of several books, including Australian Modern: the Architecture of Stephenson and Turner and New Directions in Australian Architecture.