Pinacotheca, Melbourne facts for kids
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Pinacotheca was a special art gallery in Melbourne, Australia. It opened in 1967 and was known for showing very new and experimental art. The gallery was started by Bruce Pollard. It focused on art that was different from traditional paintings or sculptures. This included art forms like conceptual art, which is more about ideas than physical objects.
History of Pinacotheca
Bruce Pollard opened Pinacotheca in May 1967. It was first located in a large old house in St Kilda, Melbourne.
In June 1970, the gallery moved to a former shoe factory in Richmond, Melbourne. This new space was much larger. The gallery closed in October 1999. However, it briefly reopened in August 2002 for one last exhibition before closing for good.
What Made Pinacotheca Special
Pinacotheca was one of the only galleries in Melbourne showing very new and experimental art in the late 1960s and 1970s. It became a place for artists who wanted to try different things.
For example, artist Dale Hickey once created an artwork by building suburban-style fences inside the gallery rooms. The fences were different heights in each room. This was a way to make people think about space and everyday objects in a new way.
The gallery was also a leader in showing Conceptual art. This type of art focuses on the idea behind the artwork, rather than the finished product. For instance, artist Joseph Kosuth had an "exhibition" where he simply asked the gallery to place his statements as advertisements in newspapers. This made people think about what art could be.
Pinacotheca was similar to other adventurous galleries in Sydney, Australia. These galleries all showed art that was often reflective and focused on daily life. The Richmond gallery space felt like a large art studio in New York City. It was simple and cool, perfect for showing big, bold artworks.
In 1971 and 1972, while Bruce Pollard was traveling, the gallery was run by a group of about twenty artists. During this time, some artists even held a fun, unusual event called The Opening Leg Show Party-Bizarre.
In 1975, a famous feminist art critic, Lucy Lippard, visited Pinacotheca. She wanted to see art by women artists. However, the gallery owner, Bruce Pollard, could not show her any. This showed that the gallery needed to improve how it supported women artists.
Exhibitions at Pinacotheca
Over its 33 years, more than 300 artists showed their work at Pinacotheca. This included important Australian artists like Rosalie Gascoigne, Bill Henson, and James Gleeson. The very last artist to show work there was Ti Parks in August 2002.
Some exhibitions were very simple and made people think deeply. For example, in 1970, artist Robert Hunter stenciled simple grids onto the gallery walls with grey paint. He wanted to create something "alien" and avoid making traditional art objects. Another exhibition featured photographs of city scenes and interiors, with blue stones arranged in grids on the floor. These shows challenged what people thought art should be.
