AGSA 500

AGSA Book 500
Release date: 2 February 2024
Authors: 22 contributors including curators, past and present, and other specialists
Hardback with gold linen cloth cover
544 pages, 255 x 220 mm
500+ full-colour illustrations

View the extraordinary richness of the Art Gallery of South Australia in a single volume, 500. A landmark, legacy publication that celebrates 500 key works of art in the state’s collection, made possible through the generosity of M.J.M Carter AO.

The publication highlights a selected glimpse of the Art Gallery’s remarkable collection, arranged broadly within three groupings – Australian, Asian and International art – and spans the Gallery’s seven curatorial areas of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art; Asian Art; Australian Art; Contemporary Art; Decorative Arts and Design; International Art; and Prints, Drawings and Photographs. The five hundred works of art are presented in reverse chronology – time travelling from the present to the past. This approach brings to light the dynamic embrace of divergent artforms within the collection, an embrace that has existed since its inception. Importantly, the works of art have been carefully chosen by AGSA curators for their quality, relevance and ability to act as touchstones to myriad ideas.

Twenty-two writers have contributed 500 texts, which describe major works of art in the Gallery’s collection. Each page includes an illustration and an accompanying text. Director Rhana Devenport has written an excellent introduction to the book and a chronology is also included.