How Good Were the Edwardians?

In Australia, Edwardian architecture has a permanent presence in our consciousness, for it has survived here better than elsewhere. It is a constant reminder of the luxurious elegance of those years, and so it comes as no surprise that such a novel exhibition has been conceived. The first survey exhibition on Edwardian art, at the National Gallery of Australia, curated by Anna Gray, is a revelation. She has chosen a remarkable selection of works, from Australian and international collections.

From room to room, formidable and flamboyant artists from the years of Edward VII’s reign, from 1901 to 1910, engage in lively debates with one another, their subjects and their collectors. Unlike survey shows which have mini monographs of a succession of individual artists, The Edwardians demonstrates the complex interrelationships between artists by a series of thoughtful juxtapositions, of paintings, small bronze sculptures, clothes (whether Roger Fry’s pyjamas or Dame Nellie Melba’s Wagnerian cloak) and cinematic extracts from early newsreels, all in dialogue with one another. The dialogue is subtle, constant and refined. It occurs between different countries, but principally between Australia and England, as artists question whether they are British or Australian, depending on their parentage, identity and location. The portraits by Tom Roberts done in England look very different, indeed Edwardian, from those he produced during his Australian years. Ann Galbally’s contribution to the catalogue is a subtle exploration of ‘expatriatism’ in art.