FACE to FACE
Live Sittings
1936 – 1972
On a recent evening in Camden, there was the launch of a new exhibition at the Alan Baker Art Gallery in the heritage-listed building Macaria in John Street.
The exhibition, FACE to FACE: Live Sittings 1936 – 1972, celebrates Alan Baker’s achievement of entering the Archibald Prize 26 times with 35 artworks between 1936 and 1972. Despite his persistence, he never won a prize.
The exhibition programme states that Alan Baker was studying at JS Watkins Art School alongside future Archibald winners Henry Hanke in 1934 with his Self Portrait, William Pidgeon, who won in 1958, 1961 and 1968, and his brother Normand Baker in 1937 with his Self Portrait.
The programme provides a timeline of Baker’s paintings with images that illustrate his works.
The Sydney.com website states
the exhibition will feature Baker’s first 1936 Archibald Prize entry painted at the age of 22, a self-portrait study painting by Normand Baker for his 1937 winning Archibald Prize entry, and Baker’s 1951 portrait of Australian Filmmaker Charles Chauvel (courtesy of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland).
The FACE to FACE Live Sittings 1936-1972 exhibition runs from April to September 2021.
The Archibald
The Archibald Prize is one of the pre-eminent portraiture prizes in Australia, held yearly at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. First awarded in 1921, this prestigious art prize is a sought-after award by artists generating publicity and public exposure. Traditionally, portraitists were mostly restricted to public or private commissions.
The Art Gallery of NSW states that:
The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, ‘preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.
The Archibald has never been far from controversy, and turning points were William Dobell’s prize-winning portrait of fellow artist Joshua Smith in 1943 and, in 1976, Brett Whiteley’s winning painting Self portrait in the studio.
Macaria, the gallery building
The Alan Baker Gallery website outlines a short history of the Macaria building.
The website states:
Macaria was originally built in 1859-1860 as a school house by Henry Thompson, the building has since been used for many things; including a private home; the Camden Grammar School; the residence and rooms of doctors and dentists including popular local physician Dr Francis West. In 1965 Macaria was purchased by Camden Council and used as Camden Library and later, offices for the Mayor, Town Clark and staff.
Macaria is a fine example of an early Victorian Gentleman’s Townhouse. Designed and built in the Picturesque Gothic, Renaissance Revival style, Macaria features gabled windows, high chimneys, stone trims and a wooden porch. Sympathetically renovated and restored in 2017, the historical features including the oregon timber flooring, Australian cedar architraves and mahogany skirting boards have been retained.
https://www.camden.nsw.gov.au/community/alan-baker-art-gallery-at-macaria/
FACE to FACE Exhibition at Alan Baker Art Gallery
37 John Street, Macaria, Camden, NSW, 2570. Australia
alanbakerartgallery@camden.nsw.gov.au
http://www.alanbakerartgallery.com.au
Entry is free.
Updated 20 October 2023. Originally posted on 18 April 2021 as ‘a new exhibition at Alan Baker Art Gallery’.
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