9 July - 12 September 2004

About the Exhibition  |  Admission prices  |  Tours & Talks  |  Free Lecture Program
Edwardian Dining Experience  |  Bastille Day  |  Events for Members  |  Children's Day
Holiday Art & Craft  |  Education  |  Film Program  |  Exhibition Shop  |  Sponsors

The Premier's Opening Night Speech:
Click here to view the speech given by South Australian Premier Mike Rann at the official Adelaide opening of The Edwardians on 8 July 2004 (available as a pdf document)

The Edwardians first opened at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
Visit nga.gov.au/TheEdwardians for more information on this magnificent exhibition.

The Edwardian era (1901 – 1910) is remembered as a time when wealth, birthright and manners were the prime qualifications for commanding respect and obedience from others. It was also a time of dramatic change from a period of established order to the beginnings of a more modern world — of social reform, of technological invention and of artistic exploration and expression. This major travelling exhibition includes magnificent paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and costumes by European and Australian artists of the early 20th century, including Gaudier-Brzeska, Augustus John, William Orpen, Walter Sickert, Rupert Bunny, Charles Conder, E. Philips Fox, George Lambert and Hugh Ramsey.

This exhibition is organised by the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and made possible by Art Indemnity Australia, an Australian Government program through which the Commonwealth acts as insurer.

GUIDED TOURS

Wednesday Thursday Friday at 1 pm   |   Saturday & Sunday at 1 pm & 3 pm
Tours are free with exhibition entry

FLOOR TALKS

Friday 9 July at 1 pm
Exhibition Talk: An Introduction
Dr. Anna Gray, Assistant Director, Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia presents a short introductory talk on the exhibition.

Saturday 10 July at 11 am
Exhibition Talk: An Introduction
Dr. Anna Gray, Assistant Director, Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia presents a short introductory talk on the exhibition.

Tuesday 20 July at 12.45 pm
Exhibition Talk: Max Meldrum
Tracey Lock-Weir, Associate Curator of Australian Paintings & Sculpture speaks about Max Meldrum, The yellow screen (Family group), 1910-11 in the exhibition.

Saturday 31 July at 12 noon
Edwardian Fashion: The Exotic and Erotic
Presented by Judith Heaven, former Curator of Decorative Arts at the Art Gallery of South Australia speaks about the glories, vanities and seductive features of Edwardian fashion.

Tuesday 3 August at 12.45 pm
Women Artists of the Edwardian Era
Dr. Catherine Speck, Art History, University of Adelaide speaks about the work of selected women artists including Natalia Gonchorova, Kathleen O'Connor, Hilda Rix Nicholas, Laura Knight and Vanessa Bell.

Tuesday 10 August at 12.45 pm
Display & Desire: reading the works of Thea Proctor
Jude Adams, Lecturer, South Australian School of Art, presents Display & Desire: reading the works of Thea Proctor in evidence of the shift from Edwardian to modernism and the convergence within modernism of high & popular culture.

Tuesday 17 August at 12.45 pm
Leisure and Holidays Edwardian Style
Lesley Abell, Tutor, History, University of South Australia, presents a talk on Leisure and Holidays in the Edwardian era, with reference to selected works.

Tuesday 24 August at 12.45 pm
Art of the Dance
Dr. Alan Brissenden, AM, presents Art of the Dance, an examination of selected sculpture and paintings in the exhibition.

Tuesday 31 August at 12.45 pm
Exhibition Talk
Ron Radford, Director speaks about Spencer Gore "The mad Pierrot ballet" at the Alhambra, 1911

Tuesday 7 September at 12.45 pm
Exhibition Talk
Georgina Downey, PHD candidate, University of Adelaide speaks about the work of Gwen John and other selected artists in the exhibition.

Please note: exhibition entry fees apply for all talks.

Enhance your enjoyment and knowledge of the Edwardian era and this amazing exhibition by attending this series of free lectures, presented in association with special guests and staff of the University of Adelaide.

Saturday 10 July at 2 pm
The Edwardians: Secrets and Desires – an introduction
Dr. Anna Gray, Assistant Director, Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia, presents a free public lecture on the exhibition.

Sunday 11 July at 2 pm
Dining in Edwardian Adelaide
Dr Barbara Santich is Senior Lecturer in the Graduate Program in Gastronomy, University of Adelaide and Le Cordon Bleu. Barbara has written for many Australian newspapers and magazines and is the author of numerous books on gastronomy. Her talk takes us to the heart and belly of Edwardian Adelaide!

Saturday 17 July at 2 pm
Sex and Morality in Edwardian Adelaide
Dr. Susan Lemar, Associate Lecturer, History & Politics, University of Adelaide, speaks about the proliferation of prostitution in the city of churches during the nineteenth century. Two pieces of Edwardian legislation, the Suppression of Brothels Act of 1907 and the Licensing Act of 1908, were expected to suppress the descent into immorality that had begun almost as soon as the colony of South Australia was proclaimed. This lecture/talk investigates the issues of sex, sin and sedition that inspired these reforms in the Edwardian era.

Saturday 24 July at 2 pm
Links across Empire: India and Australia
Presented by Dr. Margaret Allen, Associate Professor, Gender & Labour Studies, University of Adelaide. India was just a short sea-voyage away and many made the trip, whether for trade, to visit the religious missions or to take in the spectacular Durbar. Indians came to Australia as hawkers and merchants and some became farmers. While Australia sought to squeeze them out, they determinedly fought for their rights as British subjects.

Saturday 7 August at 2 pm
Model Readers
Dr. Heather Kerr, Lecturer, English, University of Adelaide speaks about what attracted the Edwardian artist to the idea of the woman reading? What might be suggested to viewers, Edwardian and others, who consider these acts of reading? How might we share in the pleasures modelled by women readers depicted in private domestic settings?

Saturday 14 August at 1.30 pm
Upstairs and Downstairs
The Edwardian period was a time of great inequality, in which the privileges of the rich were made possible by the labour of their servants and the conventions of class were rigidly defined - there was a place for everyone and everyone knew their place. Presented by Dr. Anna Gray, Curator of the exhibition.

Saturday 28 August at 2 pm
Behind closed doors: Interiors, Modernity and the Edwardians
How did Edwardian men and women represent daily domestic life and how did they respond to the rapidly changing modernisation that occurred at the turn of last century?
In this talk, Georgia Downey, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide, explores the relationship between the rise of the interior view in the Edwardian period, modernity and its effects on artists in Paris and London.

All lectures held in the Art Gallery auditorium.

Edwardian Dining Experience
Available for lunch Sunday to Friday
The Art Gallery Restaurant will offer an authentic Edwardian menu devised by Cath Kerry for the duration of the exhibition, with lots of old favourites perfect for cold winter weather. Why not take in a lunchtime talk and then join us for lunch. We're offering great savings with the following exhibition meal deals: $36 for main course, dessert, coffee and exhibition ticket or $45 for entree, main, dessert, coffee and exhibition ticket. See the exhibition on the day or come at another time! It’s up to you.
Plan your visit with a booking by telephone: 08 8232 4366.

Bastille au Musée

Tuesday 13 July from 10:30 am –3 pm
Bastille at the Gallery / Bastille au Musée
Join with members of the Alliance Française on the eve of France’s national day to celebrate everything that is great about French culture. Talks in French and English will be given by experts in art, literature and food, as well as musical performances and poetry readings. A light French lunch, refreshments and entry to The Edwardians exhibition included. Tickets $50, Members $40. Bookings call Yvonne on 8207 7050.

Friday 9 July at 6 pm
After Dark Viewing
Dr. Anna Gray, curator of this magnificent exhibition, introduces us to the world of the Edwardians, upstairs and downstairs, interiors and en plein air. The exhibition focuses on figurative works by select British, Irish, American and Australian artists from 1900 to 1914 and comprises paintings, sculptures, costumes and fan designs from national and international collections. Entry to exhibition and light supper included in the ticket price. Refreshments served in Function Room.
Tickets: $35, Members $28

Wednesday 14 July 10.15 am for 11 am
Morning tea
Enjoy a delicious and leisurely morning tea in the Gallery Café followed by an exhibition tour with a Gallery Guide. Ticket price includes morning tea and exhibition entrance.
Tickets: $20, Members $17

Friday 23 July from 4–6 pm
A Cook’s Tour
Claudia Hyles from the National Gallery of Australia is the co-author of the book Elegant Sufficiency: a taste of Edwardian Times, produced in support of this major exhibition. In this late afternoon tour, Claudia describes the processes involved in selecting and testing recipes of the day as she guides us through the exhibition, leading us by our taste buds. Following the tour we join Claudia for refreshments inspired by her book. It is your chance to purchase this beautifully produced and researched book, which Claudia is happy to sign.
Tickets: $35, Members $28

Wednesday 11 August 10.15 am for 11 am
Morning tea
Enjoy a delicious and leisurely morning tea in the Gallery Café followed by an exhibition tour with a Gallery Guide. Ticket price includes morning tea and exhibition entrance.
Tickets: $20, Members $17

Thursday 12 August at 1 pm
The Edwardians & their gardens: a final expression of power, style and Irrelevance
As far as gardens are concerned, the Edwardian age could be said to begin with the purchase of the Sandringham Estate by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1862. The profoundly patrician Edwardian lifestyle was based on an ideal of balance between city affairs and rural reflection that crashed and expired with the advent of WWI. In Australia it found expression through the domain of the vice-regal, squattocracy, landed gentry and extreme nouveaux riches from finance and business, even among the Liberal idealistic arriviste bon ton of South Australia. Drawing on the exhibition and the garden history of Australia, Trevor Nottle considers the impact of the Edwardians in the development of a life well lived in Australia. Trevor Nottle is a world authority on gardening, landscape and horticulture in Mediterranean climatic regions of the world and author of many books on gardens and gardening.
Art Gallery Auditorium. Tickets: $15, Members $12

Friday 13 August at 6.15 pm
Murder and Mayhem: The Poor and Crime in Edwardian London
The Edwardian period was not only one of fine clothes and parties at grand country houses. In Britain’s cities, and London in particular, what had become known as the "residuum", the poor leftovers of society, still struggled to survive. Dr Marc Brodie examines the reality and perceptions of the poor in London in this period and looks at crime in the city in terms of a developing "underworld" and at how horrific crimes in the late Victorian period, such as those of Jack the Ripper, had changed how middle class and wealthy Londoners saw and responded to the poor by the start of the twentieth century. Dr Brodie is the author of The Politics of the Poor: The East End of London 1885-1914 (OUP) and lectures in history at Monash University. Art Gallery Auditorium.
Tickets: $16, Members $12, includes refreshments

Saturday 4 September at 2 pm
Melodies to Mistresses: A Guide to Grainger's Edwardian Circle
Presented by David Pear and Malcolm Gillies
During 1901-14 the Australian musician Percy Grainger lived in London. These were the artistically "heady" days of Empire, rich with creativity in all its manifestations. Moreover, so many of the leading artistic figures of the day lived on Grainger's very doorstep in Chelsea thus ensuring that he was the right man, in the right place, at the right time. This talk and piano performance demonstrates just how formative these years were for the young man captured in the exhibition's portrait by Jacques-Emile Blanche -- and not only in musical terms! David Pear is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University School of Music, and a Visiting Fellow at the Humanities Research Centre, ANU and has collaborated with Malcolm Gillies on a number of books about Grainger. Malcolm Gillies is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the ANU and was for 8 years, Professor of Music at the University of Queensland. Art Gallery Auditorium.
Tickets: $35, Members $25.

For all Members’ bookings & enquiries: call Yvonne on 8207 7050

Sunday 22 August 12 noon - 3 pm
A day of activities for children with an Edwardian theme
Looking for something to do with the children? The Art Gallery is hosting a special afternoon offering activities and entertainment with an Edwardian theme. Listen to a story teller weave tales from such classic children's book as Peter Rabbit and The Wind in the Willows, sit back and enjoy a Punch & Judy puppet show or take part in free art & craft activities. We also have some great children's films including Peter Pan, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! Join in a game of quoits or sit down in a quiet corner to play snakes and ladders - something for everyone, including lemonade and cakes for the little ones! Children must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, please call: 8207 7005

Holiday Art & Craft Program

Monday 12 – Friday 16 July
Theme: Secret Somethings
During the school holidays unlock the door to your own Narnia ! A world of mystery and fantasy.
Make a wardrobe and create a mystery world inside its doors.
Suitable for ages 5 – 10 years. One hour sessions daily at 10.30am, 12 noon and 1.30pm.
$5 per child / pay on arrival.
Parents required in attendance. Bookings are essential. telephone: 8207 7005

Proudly sponsored by ETSA Utilities

Art mirrors society. Leisured life-style and working-class desires in an age of social and technological change.

Teacher Briefing
Monday 26 July 5.30 – 7 pm. Bookings required: Telephone 8207 7033

Education Pack
12 colour plates with teachers notes and student research activities. Class sets available free to booked groups

Interpretation
Education Officer and Education Guides interpretation (30 minutes sessions) available.
Bookings: telephone 8207 7033, fax 8207 7070

Admission (school groups)
$20 per class size group. Free admission: country schools, DECS category 1-4 & AISSA listed disadvantaged schools. Please advise of time of visit by telephone: 8207 7033

Free screenings of films set in the Edwardian era. Art Gallery Auditorium

Sunday 11 July at 1 pm
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
A documentary on the short life of artist, Henri Gaudier-Breska. Although Gaudier’s work was ignored during his life-time, he was later widely recognised as one of the most important sculptors of his generation. (1968) 30 mins

Sunday 18 July at 2 pm
A Night to Remember
A meticulous re-creation of the 1912 sea disaster when the ‘Titanic’ struck an iceberg on it’s maiden voyage. (1958) b/w 123 mins

Sunday 25 July at 2 pm
The House of Mirth
A tragic love story set against a background of wealth and social hypocrisy in New York at the turn of the century. Based on the classic Edith Wharton novel. (2000) 140 mins

Sunday 15 August at 2 pm
The Golden Bowl
Based on Henry James’ novel, this highly emotional drama of controversy and lies, recaptures the attitudes and lifestyles of a bygone era. (2000) 130 mins

Sunday 29 August at 2 pm
The Shooting Party
An Edwardian country house gathering becomes symbolic of a crumbling aristocracy and the collapse of the pre-war world (1984) 96 mins

Sunday 5 September at 2 pm
Howard’s End
Adapted from E M Forster's novel, this is a story of conflicting values within English society reflected in the stormy relationship of two families (1992) 140 mins

Sunday 12 September at 2 pm
The Winslow Boy
A family is embroiled in a court case that draws national attention in a drama of injustice and a single man’s dedication to see ‘…right be done’. (1999) 104 mins

Enquiries: telephone Cate 8207 7035

Don’t forget to visit our wonderful exhibition shop! We have a captivating assortment of postcards, greeting cards, bookmarks and reproductions of works in the exhibition as well as merchandise related to this period including Teddy Bears, Edwardian jewellery and lots of other "goodies".

For those with a penchant for cooking, don’t forget to pick up a copy of Elegant Sufficiency, with its mouth watering recipes from the Edwardian era. Also grab an exhibition catalogue - beautifully illustrated and selling for the special exhibition price of $39.95.

To see what other events and activities are on at the Gallery
click here to go to the Calendar of Events

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