Olympic Cake 1956.

The first Shakespeare Penguin titles appeared in 1940. They were designed by the steadfast classicist Jan Tschichold. By the late 1960s … More

When the time came for Paul Auster’s Penguin books to be redesigned, he asked the art director to consider using a typographical rather than image based approach.

“The pictorial idea, be it drawing, collage or photograph, will indicate the atmospheric content of the book.”

I’m noticing a trend in book design. Many shades of white.

“There is something in daubing a little one’s self, and having an idea of the process.”

This little hoofed fellow is supposed to stop dead people coming out of their graves to interfere with the living.

A truly lovely tree goddess.

Most of the fabulousness of the National Gallery of Victoria can be attributed to Mr Alfred Felton.

When Ellsworth Kelly was a young boy, he put a print of this chesnut tree painting of Cezanne’s on his wall.

Artists’ Colonies seem a particularly Melbourne thing in the early part of the 20th century. A dog bite was responsible for … More

Lina Bryans was born in Europe but her parents were Australian. Bryans was a Hallenstein whose family had made their … More

In memory of Brian Finemore, Lina Bryans gave one of her major late works, Landscape Quartet, to the National Gallery of … More

Around the same time Lina Bryans was changing direction, there was a new generation of young curators on the scene in the Australian art world.

Independent painter Lina Bryans was known for her portraits.

Melbourne born Mary Cecil Allen was a very well known artist and educator from the 1930s who after her death was another one of those ladies sidelined by art historians.

George Johnston was very positive about the state of the arts in Australia in 1966.

There is a big section in George Johnston and Robert Goodman’s The Australians on sport. The Sporting Life.