Robert MacPherson

Robert MacPherson is one of Australia's most significant and admired living artists. The exhibition Robert MacPherson: The Painter's Reach, curated by US-based curator and writer Ingrid Periz, will include significant works from the QAGOMA Collection, a major new acquisition, as well as important loans from public and private collections.

Widely exhibited and collected in Australia and with a significant presence in international events like the Sharjah Biennial (United Arab Emirates) and the Singapore Biennale, MacPherson's bold paintings, installations and sculptures capture the dry Australian character and sense of humour. His art sees invention in everyday Australian life and landscapes, in the roadside signs, the almost-forgotten slang words and the classifications of flora and fauna that we often take for granted.

The Painter's Reach will be the artist's first major exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery, and the first major exhibition of his work since 2001.

This accompanying catalogue introduces new audiences to MacPherson's work, presents scholarship about the artist's distinct and multifaceted career, and conceptualises his recent practice in broader philosophical, political and art historical terms. The publication includes major essays by guest curator Ingrid Periz and QAGOMA curator Angela Goddard, detailing the development of MacPherson's practice and analysing key moments within it, as well as observations by international writers and an interview with the artist.