A new exhibition at the national gallery of Australia is charting the influence of groundbreaking European artists on Australian art. More than 80 iconic works on loan from a German gallery are hung with items from the NGA's own collection showing how art was transformed in the 20th century.
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00:00As family trees go, it's a complex one. It includes some big names like Cezanne and of course Picasso.
00:11Those art legends might have been oceans away, but they still helped kick-start Australia's modernist movement in the early 20th century, a time of social and cultural upheaval.
00:22Having that sort of speed of things going across the globe meant that Australian art really evolved in parallel to that of Europe.
00:29The National Gallery has charted the influence of these European icons on expats and then on local contemporaries in an exhibition of 170 works from both continents.
00:41Highlighting the great inspiration from European masters and the ripple effects on Australian art.
00:47Those ripples emerging from the increased pace of migration, both permanent and temporary.
00:53Whether it's Australian artists heading over to Europe and seeing work in the flesh or European artists coming to Australia with the major events of the 20th century.
01:04The European collection has come from Berlin's Museum Berggruen. Its curator surprised by just how much the two bodies of work have in common.
01:13And also to see what the Australian artists made out of it. That's also important. Influence means you get an idea from somewhere but then you create something of your own out of it.
01:23Perhaps a metaphor for Australia itself. The exhibition opens this weekend and runs until September.
01:31Yeah!
01:32What happens when the us...
01:33Yeah!
01:34What happens when we are working with the international artists coming to us?
01:37That's how we have a lovely work at the art?
01:38What happens when we're doing it?
01:40What happens when we'reć ź°ģ“ė°bergens talking about the art?