Programs & Events

Matisse: Drawing Life | 3 December 2011 – 4 March 2012 | GOMA | Ticketed | Exclusive to Brisbane

GOMA Opening Hours
10.00am — 5.00pm Monday to Friday
9.00am — 5.00pm Saturday and Sunday
Closed Christmas Day
9.00am — 5.00pm Public Holidays

Delve into the life and work of Henri Matisse, learn about the sources of inspiration that influenced his work, and participate in a dynamic range of programs and events.

Sketches Of The Artist: Illustrated lecture series

1.00pm selected Saturdays | Cinema B | Free, no ticket required
Through a four-part illustrated lecture series, visitors will be enriched by knowledge of Matisse’s career, life and work as heard from diverse perspectives.

10 December 2011 | Professor Roger Benjamin, a Matisse enthusiast from the University of Sydney, has written extensively on the history of French Orientalism and Matisse’s place in that movement. In this lecture, Benjamin looks at the inspiration that Islamic decorative arts, textiles and painting provided Matisse throughout his career.

28 January 2012 | Matisse was an avid reader of poetry, and his first book set out to complement a collection of poems by the nineteenth-century Symbolist writer Stéphane Mallarmé, with an array of 29 sumptuously beautiful etchings. Join Terence Maloon, Curator, Special Exhibitions, Art Gallery of New South Wales, as he explores the affinities between the artist and the poet.

11 February 2012 | Philosopher and author Damon Young has an enduring fascination with Henri Matisse, dedicating a chapter to the artist in his well-known book Distraction (2008). Join Young as he explores the ideas behind Matisse’s striking works.

25 February 2012 | An historical anthropologist and Professor in Gender and Cultural Studies at the Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific, Margaret Jolly will reflect on how the Oceanic travels and embodied experience of Matisse and Gauguin were distilled and translated in their art practice.

Special Event: Working with paper

Wednesday 1 February 2012 | 1.30pm | The Fairfax Gallery (Gallery 1.1)
Join Queensland Art Gallery conservators and curators on a discussion tour of the exhibition, exploring the intricacies and considerations in working with paper from the perspectives of David Burnett, Curator, International Art, and Kim Barrett, Paper Conservator.

My Gen 50+: Conversations With Curators

Thursday 19 January 2012 | 2.30pm | The Fairfax Gallery (Gallery 1.1)
Join Miranda Wallace, Curatorial Manager, International Art, Exhibitions and Research, as she provides curatorial insight into the development of the exhibition ‘Matisse: Drawing Life’, inviting you to be a part of the conversation.

Purchase a season ticket to enjoy a range of ongoing programs and events | All programs and events are free with exhibition entry unless otherwise stated | Join as a Gallery Member and you will receive a FREE exhibition ticket to ‘Matisse: Drawing Life’ and also a limited edition tote bag.

Floortalks: Talking Travel

2.30pm selected Thursdays and Sundays | The Fairfax Gallery (Gallery 1.1)
Trace Matisse’s career through the perspective of travel, learn about the places he visited, and discover how travel was an ongoing source of inspiration for his work.

Thursday 15 December 2011 | As a visitor to the Pacific, Matisse had a special affiliation with Pacific objects and material culture. Join Dr Graeme Were, Lecturer in Museum Studies at the University of Queensland, as he looks at Matisse’s connection with material culture.

Sunday 15 January 2012 | Collecting objects from our travels and incorporating these into our everyday lives is an important part of personal expression. Dr Margaret Gibson, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities, Griffith University, looks at objects that recur in many of Matisse’s works, and the significance of objects for memory, place and space.

Sunday 29 January 2012 | Matisse was heavily influenced by his experiences of travelling throughout the South Pacific, living in Tahiti for some months. Join Dr Prue Ahrens, Lecturer in Art History at the University of Queensland, as she explores the lure of the Pacific for modern artists such as Matisse.

Thursday 16 February 2012 | Matisse referred to his personal collection of mats, rugs and textiles, which included several items from the Pacific, as his ‘library’. Imelda Miller, Assistant Curator, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Indigenous Studies at the Queensland Museum, speaks about material cultures of the Pacific Islands.

Purchase a season ticket to enjoy a range of ongoing programs and events | All programs and events are free with exhibition entry unless otherwise stated | Join as a Gallery Member and you will receive a FREE exhibition ticket to ‘Matisse: Drawing Life’ and also a limited edition tote bag.

The Drawing Room

As a spectacular installation within the ‘Matisse: Drawing Life’ exhibition, The Drawing Room features an abundance of objects to draw, from still—life arrangements and sculptures to fabrics and furniture, as well as live music and models, to encourage visitors in the creative activity of drawing. Taking a twenty-first—century approach to drawing, visitors can also engage with sketching through a touchscreen interactive tablet.

Purchase a season ticket to enjoy a range of ongoing programs and events | All programs and events are free with exhibition entry unless otherwise stated | Join as a Gallery Member and you will receive a FREE exhibition ticket to ‘Matisse: Drawing Life’ and also a limited edition tote bag.