MEDIA RELEASE 8 December 2010

The National Gallery of Australia’s major summer exhibition Ballets Russes: the art of costume opens to the public this Friday 10 December, and the Gallery is inviting all visitors to celebrate the opening weekend in style with a number of events and activities on offer.

Visitors can admire 150 costumes and accessories designed by renowned artists from the early 20^th century, many of which have never been seen before, and for this weekend only, Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 December, they will receive a free upgrade to a Season Pass when they purchase one full price adult or children’s ticket. The Season Pass allows them to return to the Ballets Russes exhibition as many times as they like until it concludes on 20 March 2011. And for a bit of extra fun, visitors to the opening weekend can have their photo taken with people in replica costumes from the Ballets Russes as a free souvenir!

 This Friday night will also see the launch of summer’s hottest Friday night venue, The Sculpture Bar in association with Veuve Clicquot. The bar, which opens to the public this Friday night at 6.30pm, is the best place to make the most of summer and chill under the stars in the stunning surrounds of the NGA’s Sculpture Garden while sipping on champagne. The bar will then be open every Friday night from 5pm – 10pm throughout summer.

 Ballets Russes: the art of costume features 150 costumes and accessories designed by renowned artists including Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Natalie Goncharova, André Derain, Giorgio de Chirico and many other artists. The sensory spectacle that was the Ballets Russes will be brought back to life with original design drawings for costumes and stage scenery, programs and posters, film and photography from 34 productions between 1909 and 1940. Ballets Russes: the art of costume is on show at the NGA from 10 December 2010 until 20 March 2011.

Opening weekend activities and events:

 FRIDAY 10 DECEMBER

• Sculpture Bar in association with Veuve Clicquot 6.30pm til late. Sculpture Garden, National Gallery of Australia

 SATURDAY AND SUNDAY (11/12 DECEMBER)

• Free upgrade to Season Pass for all visitors who purchase a full price adult or child ticket at the Main Entrance, allowing them to visit as many times as they like until 20 March 2011.
• Visitors can have their photo taken with replica costumes from the Ballets Russes. 11am – 2pm daily.

 SATURDAY 11 DECEMBER

Paint your own matryoshka – create your own set of Russian nesting dolls, a unique Christmas present. Ages 18+. 2pm in the Small Theatre. $50 per person, $45 for members/concession. Includes materials and festive beverages.  Bookings essential. Ph: 6240 6528

 THROUGHOUT THE EXHIBITION

• Premium Sundays. Enjoy an exclusive viewing of the exhibition with curators and guides before the doors open to the weekend crowds. It’s the perfect way to relax, enjoy and ask questions about the many spectacular costumes and accessories on display in the exhibition. Bookings via Ticketek www.ticketek.com.au  
•  Family Activity Room. Located within the exhibition, children can enjoy hands on activities such as creating sets and costumes based on the Ballets Russes. Entry is included in the exhibition ticket. Other activities also include workshops and Children’s Trail.

IMAGE CAPTION: Mikhail Larionov Costume for a buffoon’s wife c 1921 from Chout
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1973
© Mikhail Larionov

A must see exhibition at the National Gallery this summer;
150 costumes and accessories from the revolutionary Ballets Russes

 Visitors to Canberra this summer can immerse themselves in the creative explosion of the Ballets Russes at the National Gallery of Australia’s major exhibition Ballets Russes: the art of costume.

Opening on 10 December, the exhibition features 150 costumes and accessories designed by renowned artists from the early 20^th century including Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Natalie Goncharova, André Derain, Giorgio de Chirico and many other artists.

“This is a must see for anyone with an interest in the performing arts, dance, fashion, textiles, contemporary arts, or anyone with a love of rich, inspirational art exhibitions,” said exhibition curator, the Senior Curator Decorative Arts and Design at the NGA, Dr Robert Bell AM.

“The exhibition recreates something of the world from a hundred years ago and this is the chance for modern audiences to understand this part of history,” he continued.

The Ballets Russes (or Russian Ballet) revolutionised ballet with its sensational fusion of art, movement and music. Visitors to the exhibition can trace the story of the Ballet Russes as they wander through the 150 exquisite costumes and accessories which will largely be presented on mannequins in three dimensions. The costumes – made of brightly coloured and quite elaborate silks, velvets, embroidery, appliqué and hand painting– demonstrate the visual richness of the original productions.

 The sensory spectacle that was the Ballets Russes will be brought back to life with original design drawings for costumes and stage scenery, programs and posters, film and photography from 34 productions between 1909 and 1940.

 Visitors can immerse themselves in the Ballets Russes as a total art form with a diverse range of experiences in the exhibition including a film showing original footage of performances featuring costumes from the exhibition, and music playing by some of the top composers of the era.

 For families, the themed Family Activity Room will interest children with dress-ups and paper design activities, and there’s also a fun Children’s Trail to keep them busy. Special Children’s theatre performances are planned for February and March.  Adult and Children’s audio tours are also available.

 Throughout Summer the NGA will offer a series of public programs around the exhibition including the Sunset Sessions, free public performances, film screenings and talks, the Verve Cliquot Sculpture Garden Bar on Friday nights, and extended opening hours until 7pm on Saturdays throughout the exhibition. And of course there’s the themed NGA Shop to stock up on goodies!

 This fabulous exhibition is another great reason to visit the Gallery and check out the ‘New Look’ building which opened last month. Visitors can experience 11 new indigenous galleries, James Turrell’s outdoor Skyspace installation, the new NGA Shop and Sidewalk Café – the perfect sunny spot to sit and people-watch at the Gallery.

Accommodation packages to Canberra are available now via www.visitcanberra.com.au or by calling the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre on 1300 554 114. Exhibition tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.nga.gov.au or at the NGA front desk. Ballets Russes: the art of costume is on show at the NGA from 10 December 2010 until 20 March 2011.

Image caption: Léon Baskt Tunic from costume for the Blue God c 1912 from Le Dieu Bleu
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1987

Media Release – 5 October 2010

Last week’s opening of the major extension Stage 1 to the National Gallery of Australia marked a new era in the history of the Gallery—home to the national art collection. The new wing includes a striking new entrance and foyer, Gallery Shop, multi-purpose function hall, the Gandel Hall, street café and most importantly 11 new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander galleries.

Ron Radford AM, Director of the National Gallery of Australia, said, “This is the most significant development to the National Gallery of Australia since it opened in 1982.  This is the first increase in our permanent collection space since the Gallery opened, and these are the first galleries specifically designed for the display of different kinds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.

“The National Gallery of Australia owns the largest collection of Australian Indigenous art in the world, over 7500 works of art, and now many of these will be displayed in 11 dedicated galleries and spaces.

“The new Stage 1 development also provides the Gallery with a more visible and accessible street-level entrance and grand foyer, a new shop featuring exclusive product and the magnificent Gandel Hall for openings, functions and public program activities.  These are the facilities now expected of a well attended modern museum.

We would like to acknowledge the Federal Government for supporting this major redevelopment of the National Gallery of Australia. It is for all Australians. The generosity and support of visionary benefactors of Stage 1, Pauline Gandel and John Gandel AO and Gordon Darling AC, CMG, and Marilyn Darling AC, has been honoured through the naming in perpetuity of the Gandel Hall and the Gordon and Marilyn Darling Gallery for the Hermannsburg School”.

The 11 new galleries will showcase over 600 works, some never shown before or not shown in a long time and there are many new acquisitions. Each gallery is specifically designed for a different geographic region or aspect of Indigenous art and, where possible, paintings and sculptures are illuminated by natural daylight, similar to the light in which the works were created.

“It is a real honour to be the custodian of this collection that celebrates the best of Indigenous art. This art, which has been created for over 40 000 years, continues to evolve and change, to surprise and stimulate,” said Franchesca Cubillo, Senior Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art.

“These galleries show the breadth and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Visitors will see the masters of Australian Indigenous art, including Rover Thomas, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Emily Kam Kngwarray and Albert Namatjira, as well as very early and new and emerging artists. The collection spans generations, from the 19th century to works created this year.”

The galleries cover key art regions in Australia, including the Torres Strait Islands, from remote, regional and urban areas. Galleries include dedicated spaces for: The Aboriginal Memorial 1987–88, one of the most important works in the national art collection; 19th-century objects; early Western Desert paintings; desert paintings after 1975; paintings from the Kimberley; bark paintings and sculpture before 1980; watercolours from the Hermannsburg School; textiles; prints and drawings; works from north Queensland and the Top End after 1980; art from the Torres Strait Islands; and works by artists working in urban areas.

Also on display in the new wing are key sculptures and works from other areas of the national art collection, including Habakuk 1934/1970 by Max Ernst, Plenty 1986 by Rosalie Gascoigne, and Terra incognita 2005 by Imants Tillers.

In addition, the Stage 1 development features in the new Australian Garden the monumental skyspace sculpture Within without 2010 by American artist James Turrell. This work, the largest of its kind, provides an immersive experience using light, perception and space.

There are four new sculptures; three of which were commissioned specially for the Stage 1 development.   The Gallery commissioned Melbourne-based artist Mari Funaki to create a sculpture, Twilight that will be sited near the new front entrance doors.  Urban Art Projects were commissioned to create two large sculptural works, a 2.7-metre spherical sculpture by renowned senior Indigenous artist Thanakupi and a 12-metre suspended piece interpreted from a Maningrida fish-trap artefact.  The fourth work, the Angel of the North (Life-size maquette) by renowned British sculptor Antony Gormley, a generous gift from James and Jacqui Erskine, has just been installed in the Sculpture Garden on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

For more information visit nga.gov.au/openingseason

When the National Gallery of Australia announced Masterpieces from Paris as its Summer Blockbuster, everyone in Canberra and Australia got quite excited.  At Threesides, we sharpened our pencils, got our best marketing ideas off the top shelf and bunkered down for a large campaign with a product we knew wouldn’t be hard to sell.  That said, budgets and time are always limited and marketing such a mega exhibition such as Masterpieces from Paris at the NGA takes a lot of work to get the likes of QANTAS, the ACT government, Accor and the hundreds of local and national tourism industry partners working together to get the best result for the NGA and Canberra.

Public Relations has been a big aspect of the campaign and through our travel industry contacts, we managed to secure a story with Channel Nine’s Getaway travel show.   The crew and Dermott Brereton travelled down to Canberra last Jan and the show aired Feb 18.  See below for a quick summary of the piece and we’ll be sure and post the full video story once it gets online.

Here’s the story below…and keep an eye out for a piece on the Snowy Mountains as the crew kept travelling down the highway to stay with our friends at Alpine Habitats on the same trip.

Masters from Paris in Canberra – Getaway

http://getaway.ninemsn.com.au/fsaustraliaact/1014081/masters-from-paris-in-canberra