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Archibald prize finalists unveiled

The 2023 Archibald prize’s 57 finalists have been revealed by the Art Gallery of NSW. With portraits by an entire host of exceptionally talented artists, the award - as well as its $100,000 prize - will be presented to the best portrait of a person who is “distinguished in art, letters, science or politics” that has been painted by a resident of Australia. The 2023 competition also made history with its batch of finalists, as for the first time ever, more works by women were selected than works by men - 30 to 27. In total, the competition drew in an impressive 949 submissions. All three competitions - Archibald, Wynne, and Sulman - also saw a record number of entries and finalists by Aboriginal artists, at 101 entries and 38 finalist pieces. And while the overall winners won’t be announced until May 5, the Archibald Packing Room Prize 2023 winner has been revealed: a portrait of comedian Cal Wilson by Andrea Huelin. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to receive this,” the artist confessed after learning of her win. “It means such a lot to me as an artist from a regional centre to win.” The Packing Room Prize was selected by a team of three expert packers with 19 years of experience between them, and for the first time included two women - Monica Rudhar and Alexis Wildman - alongside Timothy Dale. The prize, which began in 1991 and is worth $3000, is referred to as ‘the kiss of death’ by artists when it comes to selecting the overall Archibald winner. “Andrea’s work jumped out at us as soon as it arrived,” they said of their selection. “Cal’s been such a mainstay on Australian television for two decades.” As Michael Brand - director of the Art Gallery of NSW - explained, the decision had been reached “equally” by the trio. Many other well-known faces were captured across the 57 finalists, with portraits of everyone from Cold Chisel’s Don Walker to Aboriginal activist Archie Roach, Silverchair’s Daniel Jones, NRL’s Latrell Mitchell, politicians Yvonne Weldon and Alex Greenwich, and actor Sam Neill. And for anyone who would like to admire the paintings in person, the finalists of all three competitions will be on display at the gallery from May 6 to September 3. Meanwhile, all 57 portraits are available to <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2023/">view on the Art Gallery of NSW’s website</a>. Images: Art Gallery of NSW

Art

Painting by four-legged Van Gogh sells for five figures

A very good boy named Van Gogh has raised a hefty sum of money for a good cause. The one-eared four-legged artist has used his extraordinary talents to create his own rendition of his namesake’s masterpiece Starry Night. At an online benefit auction for the <a href="https://www.happilyfureverafter.org/">Happily Furever After Rescue</a> in Connecticut, USA, pet food company Pedigree paid $10,000 for the artwork. The rescue home was the one that found Van Gogh his new forever home, after sharing his artistic talents online. All the proceeds of Van Gogh the dog’s auction will benefit the rescue efforts of Happily Furever After, which specialises in rehoming dogs like pit bulls, who can sometimes have a hard time finding homes. The paintings in the current auction, titled “Van Gogh Reimagined,” are all based on compositions by the original Van Gogh. However, unlike a painting by the Dutch master, the dog’s art starts the bidding at just $25 a piece. “Having Van Gogh create some of history’s most famous paintings felt like big shoes to fill,” founder Jaclyn Gartner told <a href="https://news.artnet.com/market/van-gogh-rescue-dog-charity-auction-2264707">Artnet News</a>. “There was a lot more attention to detail this time around to make sure to incorporate all the colours and try to recreate the pieces as closely as possible.” Since finding his new home, Van Gogh has created more than 150 new works of art. To make each masterpiece, a person applies blobs of colours of paint to a canvas placed inside a plastic bag. The talented dog then completes the artwork by licking off a coating of peanut butter or other dog-friendly treats from the outside of the bag, making the artwork inside. “The most exciting part about Van Gogh painting is never really knowing what it’s going to come out to look like as it depends on how his tongue slides across the peanut butter coated bag,” Gartner said. “Since we did the art gallery in October, Van Gogh has explored more tasty toppings,” she added. “We have begun incorporating other things like ground up liverwurst, pumpkin puree, and goat whip. Painting has become an even more delicious hobby for Van Gogh!“ Image credits: Happily Furever After Rescue

Art

Queen Elizabeth II mural painted over

A mural of Queen Elizabeth II has been painted over with the Aboriginal Flag a few days after the monarch was laid to rest. Queen Elizabeth died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and was buried on September 19 at King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George's Chapel. The day of her death saw local Sydney artist Stuart Sale paint the mural in the inner-west suburb of Marrickville. Bobby, another local member of the community, told OverSixty that Mr Sale had painted the mural at night, and had then come back the next morning to touch it up. “There was quite a crowd around him as he finalised the mural,” he said. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZohGyPHkA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZohGyPHkA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Stuart Sale (@stuartsale)</a> </div> </blockquote> The mural was left untouched for almost two weeks until Australia’s National Day of Mourning when it was painted over with the Aboriginal Flag. “It’s a very sensitive issue,” Bobby told OverSixty. Mr Sale shared an update to his Instagram of the altered mural with the caption, “Art can be so powerful”, along with three hearts in the Aboriginal Flag colours. He explained that the mural belonged to the people and that he did not have any plans on fixing it. “It belongs to the people in a way and that’s why I’m torn. I’ve painted this and given it to the street. I might let it stay for now.” Images: Sahar Mourad

Art

AI system sees beyond the frame of famous artworks

A new AI tool can provide a glimpse of what could potentially be going on beyond the frame of famous paintings, giving them a brand new life. OpenAI, a San Francisco-based company, has created a new tool called 'Outpainting' for its text-to-image AI system, DALL-E. Outpainting allows the system to imagine what's outside the frame of famous works such as Girl with The Pearl Earring, Mona Lisa and Dogs Playing Poker. DALL-E relies on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which simulate the way the brain works in order to learn and create an image from text. Now with Outpainting, users must describe the extended visuals in text form for DALL-E to “paint” the newly imagined artwork. Outpainting, which is primarily aimed for professionals who work with images, will let users 'extend their creativity' and 'tell a bigger story', according to OpenAI. US artist August Kamp used Outpainting to reimagine the famous 1665 painting Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, extending the background in the original style. The results show the iconic subject in a domestic setting, surrounded by crockery, houseplants, fruit, boxes and more. Other Outpainting attempts took a more creative turn, with one showing the Mona Lisa surrounded by a dystopian wasteland, and a version of A Friend In Need showing an additional table of gambling canines. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> “Outpainting: an apocalyptic Mona Lisa” by tonidl1989<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dalle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle2?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dalle2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aiart?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aiart</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aiartwork?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aiartwork</a> <a href="https://t.co/puYVxjyFMm">pic.twitter.com/puYVxjyFMm</a> — Best Dalle2 AI Art 🎨 (@Dalle2AI) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dalle2AI/status/1565168579376566278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Used DALL-E 2’s new “outpainting” feature to expand the world’s greatest work of art… <a href="https://t.co/0HXQzngt9P">pic.twitter.com/0HXQzngt9P</a> — M.G. Siegler (@mgsiegler) <a href="https://twitter.com/mgsiegler/status/1565398150482784256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></blockquote> DALL-E is available to more than one million people to create AI-generated images, all with a series of text prompts. DALL-E is just one of many AI systems infiltrating the art world, joining the likes of Midjourney and Imagen redefining how we create and appreciate art. Image credits: DALL-E - August Kamp

Art

Russian guard sentenced after doodling eyes on exhibit painting

A Russian security guard has been found guilty of vandalism after doodling eyes on an abstract painting by avant-garde artist Anna Leporskaya last December. According to the <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/08/29/russian-museum-guard-yeltsin-centre-doodles-sentenced">Art Newspaper</a>, he must serve 180 hours of “compulsory labour” and undergo “psychiatric evaluation”. The painting, titled Three Figures (1932–34), was on loan to the Yeltsin Centre from Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery and valued at 75 million rubles (US$1.2 million). News of the vandalism broke when visitors alerted gallery staff of two crude eyes drawn on the painting’s faceless figures in a ballpoint pen. A police investigation revealed the culprit was 64-year-old Aleksandr Vasiliev, a security guard employed by a private company who was on his first day on the job. After the damage was deemed “insignificant”, it was restored and has since been returned to the Tretyakov Gallery. Vasiliev’s lawyer, Aleskei Bushmakov, shared a letter on his Facebook page that he sent to Zelfira Tregulova, the general director of the Tretyakov Gallery. He wrote that “taking into account the circumstances of the criminal case, the damage inflicted to the painting Three Figures” and “the high level of public attention in connection with the incident,” the museum considered closing the case “via reconciliation” but ultimately decided that it “does not regard it as possible to take such an appeal to the magistrate.” In an interview with Russian news site E1, Vasiliev said he believed the 20th-century work by Leporskaya was a “children’s drawing” and claimed he was goaded by teenagers to deface it. “I’m a fool, what have I done,” he said. Image credits: State Tretyakov Gallery / The Art Newspaper Russia

Art

Male artists dominate galleries. Our research explored if it’s because ‘women don’t paint very well’ – or just discrimination

In the art world, there is a gaping gender imbalance when it comes to male and female artists. In the National Gallery of Australia, <a href="https://nga.gov.au/knowmyname/about/">only 25%</a> of the Australian art collection is work by women. This is far better than the international standard where <a href="https://nmwa.org/support/advocacy/get-facts/">roughly 90%</a> of all artworks exhibited in major collections are by men. The <a href="https://www.artsy.net/artwork/georgia-okeeffe-jimson-weed-slash-white-flower-no-1">most expensive</a> painting by a female artist – Georgia O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 – does not even rank among the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_paintings#List_of_highest_prices_paid">100 most expensive paintings</a> ever sold. Why is women’s art valued so much less than art by men? Some economists <a href="https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2005/02/why_do_women_su.html">have suggested</a> the greater burden of child rearing and other domestic duties means women have had fewer opportunities to succeed in the art world. Others have blamed the “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/report-names-laggers-as-women-artists-win-parity-20191029-p534vy.html">quality</a>” of women’s art. In 2013, German painter <a href="https://observer.com/2013/01/georg-baselitz-says-women-dont-paint-very-well/">Georg Baselitz said</a> “Women don’t paint very well. It’s a fact. The market doesn’t lie.” We wanted to know: is work by women generally valued differently to work by men because it is of a lower artistic quality, or is it just discrimination? <h2>Which painting do you like better?</h2> In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268122002669?dgcid=author">our new research</a> we showed average Americans pairs of paintings, painted between 1625 and 1979, side by side. Each of the pairs are similar in style, motif and period, but one work was by a male artist and the other by a female artist. Participants were in two groups. One group saw the artists’ names and the other didn’t. We wanted to see whether more people among those who saw artist names preferred the male painting. If seeing the names – and thereby inferring artist gender – causes more people to prefer male paintings, then there is gender discrimination. Before we tell you the results, think about what you would have expected. And <a href="https://rmit.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e4JBs0wxKeftYF0">take a look</a> at our actual painting pairs and see if you can guess which is the male one (hint: you can’t). We were pleasantly surprised to find our participants did not give a hoot about artist gender. In both groups, 54% preferred the painting from a woman. We repeated this experiment, this time rewarding participants if they could accurately guess the preferences of others – the people in the first experiment. Again, 54% of the people in each group picked the female paintings. <h2>Which painting do you think is worth more?</h2> Next we wanted to find out if people picked male paintings for reasons other than personal taste. Art isn’t just bought and sold on aesthetic value: it is a speculative market, where art is treated as an investment. We conducted two more experiments. In one, participants were rewarded if they picked the more expensive painting. In the other, they were rewarded to pick the one painted by the more famous artist. Gender discrimination emerged in both these experiments. When asked to predict the value of and creator fame of paintings, people suddenly swung towards picking male artists. Preference for female paintings fell by 10% and 9% in these two new experiments. Gender discrimination in art comes not from personal aesthetic preference – Baselitz’ argument that women “don’t paint very well” – but people thinking paintings are more valuable and famous when painted by male artists. <h2>A question of fame</h2> In our fifth experiment, we again rewarded participants who could correctly guess which painting would be preferred by others. This time everyone saw the names of the artists. But only one group was told which of the two artists was objectively more famous – the male artist in 90% of cases. The group with that information was 14% more likely to pick male paintings. People used fame information to predict the painting others liked better. If women artists were discriminated against just because of their gender we would have seen a higher premium put on the male artists even in questions of aesthetics. Here, discrimination only occured when our participants were asked to assign a monetary value to the art works, or when they were given information about the level of fame of the painter. This means our art appreciators discriminated not on gender, but on something closely associated with gender: fame. And because male artists have, historically, been given <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1574067606010234">more opportunities</a> to become artists – and therefore become famous – artwork by men is perceived as having a higher value. Policy is slowly starting to recognise and target institutional factors that perpetuate male dominance because of historical notions of fame, like the National Gallery of Australia’s <a href="https://knowmyname.nga.gov.au/">Know my Name</a> initiative. Discrimination in the arts exists, but it often comes from people’s beliefs about what others care to discriminate about. The task ahead is to change perceptions of people and institutions who do not discriminate – but merely conform to others’ discrimination. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/male-artists-dominate-galleries-our-research-explored-if-its-because-women-dont-paint-very-well-or-just-discrimination-189221" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

101-year-old reunited with painting looted by Nazis

A Nazi-looted painting has been returned to its owner after being lost for 75 years. 101-year-old Dutch woman Charlotte Bischoff van Heemskerck was reunited with the 1638 portrait of the Dutch merchant Steven Wolters, which was stolen by the Nazis during the occupation of The Netherlands in World War II. The painting had once hung in Charlotte’s childhood bedroom and was a much-loved possession of her father, who went into hiding after refusing to accept Nazi orders. Charlotte’s father had stored the painting in the Amsterdam Bank to protect it, where it was later stolen, along with countless other works, by Nazi invaders. The portrait was then lost for decades before being acquired by a private collector in Germany in 1971, where negotiations with the collector led to the painting being returned to Bischoff van Heemskerck in 2021. Recalling the moment that she saw it again, she told the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/12/i-am-amazed-101-year-old-dutch-woman-reunited-with-painting-looted-by-nazis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR1Xn3-h5Nt_HwsEJ3yE8S-HXjc1A0iw5paSLZEQ2JUEp3h1P7pMSWi3JC4">Guardian</a>, “I was amazed.” Charlotte’s father died in 1969, but she said he would have been “so happy that it came back”. After treasuring the painting in her possession for six months, the family have decided to sell the portrait at Sotheby’s auction house in London, where it is expected to sell for between $50,000 and $90,000. She said: “I had five brothers and sisters. There are 20 offspring and they are very sweet, so I never had the feeling that it was mine. It’s from the family.” Image credits: Getty Images

Art

Witness accused of painting Chris Dawson in “most monstrous” way possible

A witness has claimed that Chris Dawson allegedly pushed his wife Lynette against a trampoline and screamed at her before she disappeared. Lynette Dawson disappeared from the family home in Bayview in Sydney’s northern beaches, leaving behind her two children in January 1982. The 33-year-old has not been heard from since then and her remains have not yet been found. Dawson, a former professional rugby league player and teacher is accused of killing his wife Lynette. He appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday where he claimed he was in fact the victim of improper police investigations following the disappearance of his wife. In the judge-alone trial, witness and former neighbour Julie Andrew alleged that Dawson was “shaking” his wife moments leading up to her death. "He was screaming at her and she was crying. He was towering over her … he was roaring at her,” she said in court, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-16/witness-tells-court-she-saw-chris-dawson-screaming-at-lynette/101069734" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a> reported. A few hours after the alleged incident, Julie went to check in on Lynette who informed her that Dawson was going to make room for the babysitter to move in because he was infatuated with her. Julie told the court that she tried to explain to Lynette that it was her house and she should not allow that to happen. She also recalled the moment Lynette revealed that she came home from work one day to find Dawson and the babysitter in bed together. "She said, 'I'm sure she just wasn't feeling well and he was looking after her'," Julie said. She noted that that was the last time she saw Lynette and would try calling the home phone to which no one responded. Julie only spotted Dawson, the babysitter, and the two children in the house - claiming she was too scared to go to the house and check on the situation. Defence barrister Pauline David accused Julie of painting Dawson in the "most monstrous" way possible. Julie denied the accusation saying she was there to tell the truth and said she didn’t go to the house after noticing bruises on Lynette’s arm, ABC reported. Dawson continues to claim his innocence after being arrested for the murder of Lynette. The trial continues. Image: Nine News

Legal

Banksy the dog recreates paintings of his namesake

A rescue dog named after the elusive street artist Banksy has recreated his famous works to raise $1,000 for charity. Seven works were created by Banksy the dog, who uses his nose and paws to recreate the iconic pieces. The money raised is going to the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, which Banksy has called home since August 2021. Spokeswoman Gina Jones said, "We're absolutely thrilled. The money will make a big difference to the lives of vulnerable animals in our care."As well as helping to raise money for the rescue centre, Banksy’s art has been part of an appeal to find his forever home.The seven artworks were auctioned off on the centre’s Facebook page, with the dog’s recreation of Good Panda drawing in the biggest bid of $230.<img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/banksy-dog-1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />Image credit: Bristol Animal Rescue CentreMs Jones said that even though Banksy the dog’s works have been auctioned off, he just keeps painting. "He just keeps going and going, he loves spreading the paint around," she said."I think he secretly really enjoys the attention," she said. "When we had some cameras in, he's like 'yes, you may film me'. He's really come out of his shell."Staff at the rescue centre said that with all the attention his art is getting, they hope he will be able to find a new home after being at the centre for an “unusually long amount of time”."We've had a few expressions of interests and we are still going through the adoption process with everybody," Ms Jones said. "Obviously we do check for everyone who applies that it is a suitable home for him... and we are really hopefully we will find somebody great and get him that forever home."Image credits: Bristol Animal Rescue Centre

Art

Self-taught 14-year-old artist offered thousands for paintings

During lockdown, it was not uncommon for most people to try a new hobby they had been putting off. But for 14-year-old Makenzy, it was a starting point for incredible success. During a period of self-isolation in Wales, Makenzy Beard found some old acrylic paints and an easel that once belonged to her mother, and decided to try her hand at painting. Her first piece, an incredible portrait of her farming neighbour John Tucker, went viral on social media. She told the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57670603">BBC</a> that the portrait took about 20 hours to complete over a three-week period. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COGXvlHH1Ax/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COGXvlHH1Ax/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Makenzy Beard (@makenzy_beard)</a> </div> </blockquote> "I was very busy at the time I decided to do this one, so I was taking five minutes before school, an hour after school before sport. It was all broken down, I never spent one long extended period of time on it", she said. Makezny said her subject John “is a wonderful person and has a really lovely, kind and friendly demeanour," and thought he would be the perfect person to paint. The post racked up thousands of likes online, as she was encouraged by art fans around the world to keep up her extraordinary talent. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSpfvXipcmU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSpfvXipcmU/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Makenzy Beard (@makenzy_beard)</a> </div> </blockquote> After adding more works to her collection, Makenzy has had her works displayed in a gallery in Cardiff. Some pieces have captured the attention of international art dealers, with one of her paintings selling for $18,000AUD. One of the pieces in her showcase is a portrait of her grandfather Bernard Davis, but Makenzy said she will be keeping the artwork due to its sentimental value. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUid6kGo0n6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUid6kGo0n6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Makenzy Beard (@makenzy_beard)</a> </div> </blockquote> Despite having international offers on her artwork, Makenzy is still keeping her options open in regards to her future. While she is passionate about art, the 14-year-old is happy just keeping her talents as a hobby as she focuses on school. Director of Blackwater Gallery, Kimberley Lewis, said, "I think anyone can be a good portrait artist, but I think it takes a lot to show real personality and the soul of a person through their pieces and I think for someone so young, Makenzy does this brilliantly." Image credits: Instagram @makenzy_beard

Art

The offence of a child possessing spray paint without a lawful purpose in NSW

Image: Getty Once just an American holiday that Australians would see on the big screen in movies like ET, Halloween has slowly, but steadily made its way to our shores. And every year it just seems to get bigger here. The shops have been full of decorations and paraphernalia for weeks, and now that Sydney, and most of New South Wales, are no longer under lockdown restrictions, it’s likely that many families are looking forward to participating on 31 October 2021, taking the opportunity to get together with the neighbours, have some fun and feel a sense of ‘normalcy’. But what’s it going to be like to celebrate Halloween in the time of Covid? Well, it’s undoubtedly going to be an event that puts health and safety first. Health Advice Families are being encouraged to check in with the NSW Health website to check on any restrictions in their local area. These are likely to include using hand sanitiser and face covering, only handing out and accepting individually wrapped treats, keeping group and visiting sizes down, and exercising physical distancing. Stay on the right side of the law! Of course, children should always be supervised by a responsible adult who can oversee their personal safety. Anyone driving should remember that Halloween tends to be a night that kids rule the streets, so drivers need to be wary, particularly at dusk when visibility is reduced. Pedestrians should stick to footpaths and designated crossings, and also be aware of road safety. Unfortunately, this is also a night where the kids can get out of control! ‘Sugar highs’, peer pressure and the false confidence provided by a superhero costume can lead to some kids and teens behaving badly – potentially even finding themselves on the wrong side of the law by engaging in activities like egging houses and cars, damaging plants and foliage, and other acts of vandalism and graffiti. The offence of graffiti in NSW Section 4 of the Graffiti Control Act 2008 (NSW), a person who marks a premises or property can face a penalty of up to 12 months in prison and/or a $2,200 fine if the prosecution is able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that: <ol> <li>The marking was done intentionally,</li> <li>There was no consent from the owner of the premises or property that was marked on;, and</li> <li>Either:</li> </ol> <ul> <li>A graffiti implement was used for marking the premises or property. This includes, spray paint, maker pen, or anything designed to produce a mark that’s not readily removable by wiping it (or by use of water or detergent); or</li> <li>The marking was done in such a manner that it isn’t readily removable by wiping it (or by using water or detergent).</li> </ul> The offence of a child possessing spray paint in NSW Section 8B of the Act makes it an offence for a person under the age of 18 years to possess spray paint in a public place. The maximum penalty for this offence is 6 months in prison and/or an $1,100 fine. A ‘public place’ is defined as a place (whether or not covered by water), or a part of premises, that is open to the public, or is used by the public whether or not on payment of money or other consideration, whether or not the place or part is ordinarily so open or used and whether or not the public to whom it is open consists only of a limited class of persons, but does not include the premises of a school or other educational establishment. The defences to this particular offence are where: (a) the spray paint was intended for a defined lawful purpose, being the lawful pursuit of an occupation, education or training, or (b) the spray paint was for another defined lawful purpose and was at or in the immediate vicinity of the place where the spray paint can was being used or intended to be used for that defined lawful purpose. The offence of intentionally or recklessly damaging a property in NSW Graffiti vandalism by way of marking surfaces can also result in criminal charges of intentionally or recklessly destroying or damaging property, which is an offence under section 195 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) and comes with a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Intentionally means wilfully or purposely, while recklessly means foreseeing the possibility of damage or destruction but proceeding regardless. Courts have found that property is considered to have been damaged where: <ul> <li>There is permanent damage,</li> <li>There is temporary functional derangement,</li> <li>There is temporary impairment of usefulness,</li> <li>The physical integrity of the property is altered, or</li> <li>The property is rendered imperfect or inoperative.</li> </ul> Some examples of conduct found by the courts to constitute damage include: <ul> <li>Placing a blanket in a toilet and flushing,</li> <li>Letting down the tyres of a car,</li> <li>Painting graffiti on walls or floors, and</li> <li>Breaking a raw egg on the windscreen of a car.</li> </ul> The offence of trespassing in NSW Trick or treaters should also be aware that not everyone participates in Halloween and for some it can be a real nuisance, and if you’re on someone’s property and they don’t want you there, you can also be charged with trespassing. Trespassing – which is also known as entering inclosed lands without permission – is an offence under section 4 of the Inclosed Lands Protection Act 1901 (NSW), which makes it an offence to enter inclosed lands without permission which carries a maximum fine of $550. Section 4A of the Act imposes steeper penalties for remaining on the premises after the owner or occupier directs you to leave. In such a case, the maximum fine is $2,200 where the land is a ‘prescribed premises’ such as a school, hospital, child care centre or nursing home, or $1,100 in all other cases. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-offence-of-a-child-possessing-spray-paint-without-a-lawful-purpose-in-nsw/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers.</a>

Legal

Artificial intelligence recreates destroyed paintings

A new interactive hub founded by <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/gustav-klimt/m03869?hl=en">Google Arts & Culture</a> is showcasing an exclusive Gustav Klimt exhibition that offers insight into Klimt’s biography, artistic inspiration and legacy. As part of the initiative, Google has digitally recreated three iconic Klimt works that were previously lost to a fire in 1899. By utilising artificial intelligence, technology has colourised the black and white photographs of the artworks. The three paintings, titled Medicine, Philosophy, and Jurisprudence, collectively form the “Faculty Paintings,” which were commissioned by the University of Vienna. Officials at the university originally deemed the works “pornographic” and “perverse” upon their unveiling, before ultimately being sold to a private buyer. The paintings were lost in a fire during the final days of World War II in 1945, and only survived in a series of photographs. AI researchers and Klimt scholars were supported by those at Google to bring colour to these enigmatic paintings and give them a second opportunity in the spotlight. After much back and forth to make the recreation as accurate as possible, the AI-coloured images provide what might be the closest we will ever get to seeing a complete image of those lost paintings. In a statement from Franz Smola, curator at the Belvedere museum, he said “The result for me was surprising because we were able to colour it even in the places where we had no knowledge, with machine learning we have good assumptions that Klimt used certain colours.” The use of this revolutionary technology shows hope for the future of famous painting recreations that would have otherwise been lost forever. Image credit: Google Arts & Culture

Art

Banksy pandemic painting sells for record amount

Banksy has achieved something not many others can claim by raking in an incredible £16.8 million ($30.18 million) for Britain’s frontline workers during an auction. After selling an artwork, Christie’s auction house has said the sale would be used to fund health organisations and charities across the UK. The work titled "Game Changer", features a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy while Batman and Spider-Man figurines lay in a rubbish bin next to him. The picture appeared on a wall at Southampton General Hospital in southern England in May of 2020. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840433/banksy.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cb3d9e75e6144335be3ff1f5530cf8d1" /> The hospital said Banksy had left a note for workers that read: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white." The sale price was a world auction record for Banksy and Christie’s, the auction house said it will donate a "significant portion" of the buyer's premium to health organisations. "Banksy is an extraordinary artist who is a constant barometer of nationwide sentiment," said Katharine Arnold, who runs the European post-war and contemporary art era at the auction house. "With the perfect image of a little boy playing with his superhero doll, a nurse sporting the international Red Cross, he perfectly captured the essence of this moment in time."

Art

Erin Molan sues Daily Mail for painting her as a“racist”

Nine sports presenter Erin Molan is suing the Daily Mail Australia after they published a story earlier this year that she says paints her as a blatant “racist” after she said “hooka looka mooka hooka fooka” on radio. The TV star also alleges the outlet is responsible for contributing to online bullying, including an Instagram post in which former NRL star John Hopoate called her a “racist b***h”. Ms Molan copped criticism in June for uttering the strange phrase on 2GB’s NRL program Continuous Call after a reference to pronouncing player names. Ms Molan can be heard saying “Dad!” twice and then “hooka looka mooka hooka fooka” in an accent before her co-host replies “What? I’m not sure what you said then”. Ms Molan apologised for the “clumsy” comments but vehemently denies that she was mocking Polynesian names and said she was referencing a story previously told on the show. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://t.co/xK1wd6GGY2">pic.twitter.com/xK1wd6GGY2</a> — Erin Molan (@Erin_Molan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Erin_Molan/status/1270580896874156034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2020</a></blockquote> In court documents filed September 12 and seen by NCA NewsWire, Ms Molan alleges that the media outlet targeted her in a defamatory campaign that incorrectly quoted her as saying that the comment was an “in-joke”. Daily Mail also reportedly stated she refused to apologise. The Wide World of Sports presenter is suing over a story published on June 5 entitled “Erin Molan refuses to apologise for her ‘hooka looka mooka’ jibe on live radio — as Pacific Islander women slam her for being ‘complicit in racism’ by mocking their names”. She is also suing over two tweets that shared the story. Ms Molan says that the story suggests she mocked Pacific Islander names and refused to apologise. She says this is suggested by her inability to pronounce Pacific Islander names which painted her as racist and incompetent and unfit to be an NRL commentator. Ms Molan has gone on to claim that the story spawned further criticism including a Change.org petition calling for her to be fired. A tweet from Victorian MP Dustin Halse and an Instagram post was made where Mr Hopoate wrote: “It was an inside joke between colleagues so it’s OK. Just like when I accidentally trip this RACIST BITCH over and she falls and scrapes her RACIST mouth on the ground.” These were all a “natural and probable consequence” of the Daily Mail story and increase her claim to damages, Ms Molan claims. The lawsuit states that the story and two tweets “gravely injured” her reputation and caused her hurt and embarrassment. Daily Mail Australia told NCA NewsWire it is “strenuously defending the proceedings” and will file a defence shortly in accordance with court rules.

Legal

Million-dollar painting deemed almost worthless

One guest on BBC's Antiques Roadshow was left deflated on the show after they learnt a portrait thought to be an original Lely painting was almost worth nothing. The visitor appeared on the show with one of the experts, to find out the true value of the artefact that had been passed down through his family. He revealed the artwork was purchased in an auction in the 1850s, before it was placed in the home of the current owner - having been passed down through the family. The piece was believed to have been painted by the popular artist Sir Peter Lely, who was around in the 1600s. However the expert had to break the news that the piece was not an original and most likely a copy painted in the 19th century - two centuries after Lely's paintings. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837079/painting-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/34b3a7c3aa9d45c993f2bf049755e4c2" /> It featured all the parts of a painting by this artist, even documented as one of his works in an auction catalogue from the time it was purchased. The show expert says it was obviously not original - but if it had been; it would be worth around a million dollars. However, due to the artwork likely being a dupe, he said the it’s value dropped down dramatically to almost nothing. He explained: "The question is, is it by Lely? The catalogue of 1845 you've just shown me says Lely doesn't it, quite clearly. But in those days they had somewhat a looser interpretation of the trade description act, if it indeed ever existed. "The thing about Lely, the great portrait painter that he was, is that when he died he left hundreds of unfinished portraits and versions of portraits already done. "His students and studio assistants finished them really quickly, and sold them all so that his entire estate including his collection of old masters made something like £30,00 in the 17th century, which was a massive amount of money. He was so popular. "It effectively flooded the market with versions of his pictures done by lesser hands, the question is, is it one of those?" The expert went on to reveal what the portrait could really be worth. "The secret here is not to look too closely I’m afraid, you can tell I’m softening you up for a bit of a blow,” he said. "Sorry but I think, I’m afraid, this is a shadow of a dream. It's not even by a studio assistant. I think it's a much later copy. "Something about the reduced scale, of course it should be massive, makes it look more domestic. Something about the frankly Victorian idea of a 17th century frame, it's been copied. "And the colours are slightly gaudier than you’d expect, a little bit of clunkiness in the drawing of the hand, and then put on top of that this brown finish which is quite deliberately antiquing it, I think what we're looking at is a 19th century copy." The expert went on to say despite the guest’s disappointments that if it was an “original Lely, it would be pretty well around a million pounds.” "But as it is, it's probably worth around I don't know, £600. I'm sorry to let you down."

Art

BREAKING: Aussie invents game-changing coronavirus-killing paint

An Australian scientist is thrilled with his latest invention, which is a new surface coating that "inactivates" coronavirus on impact. The copper-based substance essentially drains the virus of its power and can be applied on doorknobs, light switches, shopping carts, dining tables and much more. With early indications that the coating has the ability to wipe out the virus on contact for years once applied, Dr William Ducker is now looking for commercial support to take this coating worldwide. “This virus is a major problem and we need to take away its ability to infect a human cell,” Dr Ducker said. “Breathing in the virus is the main thing, but we do need to be scared of touching things. If someone sneezes on a surface and you touch it and then you touch your mouth, in it goes. “I wanted to create a coating that if the virus touches it, it will be inactivated. Working with the University of Hong Kong, we put droplets of the virus on a coated surface, then washed it off and tried to infect monkey cells – but the virus was no longer able to infect the cells after being in contact with the virus.” He said that the tests have been outstanding, with the coating working for long periods and reducing the virus on applied surfaces by 99.9 per cent. The coating itself is made out of cuprous oxide, which is recycled copper pipes and wires. “It’s great, it does that all day,” he said. “The coating will work all day. “We think it could even last for years. Paint it on now, and we expect it will still be working this time next year.” The coating retains its ability to inactivate the virus after multiple rounds of being exposed to COVID-19 and then disinfection or being submerged in water for a week, based on testing. “Everybody is worried about touching objects that may have the coronavirus,” said Dr Ducker, who recalled that his wife questioned whether she should sit on a park bench during the pandemic. “It would help people to relax a little bit.” “People won’t have to worry as much about touching objects,” he said. “It will be both practical and fear-reducing.” Image credit: <a rel="noopener" href="http://wsls.com/" target="_blank" class="c-link">wsls.com</a>

News

Kmart mum shocked with what was in a kid’s painting set

A concerned Queensland mum got the “fright of her life” as her toddler approached her holding a rusty knife. Sally Barnden says he found it in a toy purchased from Kmart in a “Paint Your Own Pets” toy kit last week which had been bought by a family friend. Sally’s partner Renee King told<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/horror-find-in-gympie-childs-toy/4035799/" target="_blank"> The Gympie Times</a> that they opened the toy to play with it and made the shocking discovery. “We got given a paint and dog set and I half pulled out the plastic inside, grabbed the ceramics to paint with Mackinlee (6) and then shoved the plastic moulding back in,” she said. “I left it on the table because it was rubbish and Mackinlee and I were going to paint and then Henley has grabbed the box and then the knife thing has fallen out and he has walked over to Sally.” Sally shared the incident on Facebook to warn other parents about the potential dangers. “Someone had to take out the plaster animals and paints before putting this on the bottom of the box,” Sally wrote on Facebook. “Surely someone saw something. “And if the box was purchased and returned, shouldn’t every return be checked before placing it on the shelf again for sale?” <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836500/kamrt-body.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8c201d07a0a5445794116fa945f17195" /> <div class="body_text "> She called to complain about the knife being found but was told by the store that “this kind of thing happened a lot” and offered a refund. “I am sorry but a refund would not be cutting it, if Henley had cut himself on this very sharp, and very rusty blade!?!!?!” she wrote. Sally explained that she is “grateful and blessed” her son brought the knife to her straight away and no damage was done. “I can’t even imagine what would have happened with another family,” she said. “Imagine kids discovering this, and thinking it was a toy considering it came from a kid’s art set.” Kmart Australia has been contacted for comment. Photo credits: Facebook, Sally Barnden </div>

Family & Pets

Why Australia paints Qantas CEO Alan Joyce as a superhero

Alan Joyce is Australia’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-17/ceo-bonuses-soar-as-qantas-boss-alan-joyce-tops-list/11518356">highest-paid chief executive</a>. Alan Joyce is one of the Financial Review’s <a href="https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/leaders/australia-s-10-most-covertly-powerful-people-20190828-p52lon">ten most covertly powerful people</a>. Alan Joyce writes <a href="https://twitter.com/Qantas/status/1104924677175169026">heartwarming notes to children</a>. Alan Joyce is <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/qantas-boss-alan-joyce-53-announces-hes-set-to-marry-his-partner-after-20-years-together/ar-AAIbJ0e?li=BBU4PL8">getting married</a>. And he is apparently some sort of <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/qantas-chief-executive-alan-joyce-deserved-to-make-24-million-in-2018/news-story/5b25597a186e24adedd01887165e398c">superhero</a>. Something about chief executives brings forth testimonials <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/qantas-chief-executive-alan-joyce-deserved-to-make-24-million-in-2018/news-story/5b25597a186e24adedd01887165e398c">like this</a>, published in the News Corporation tabloids last month, which followed the revelation that Joyce was Australia’s highest paid corporate chief (taking home <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-17/ceo-bonuses-soar-as-qantas-boss-alan-joyce-tops-list/11518356">A$24 million</a> in 2018-19). Penned by Angela Mollard, a journalist specialising in celebrities, it <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/qantas-chief-executive-alan-joyce-deserved-to-make-24-million-in-2018/news-story/5b25597a186e24adedd01887165e398c">said he had</a> <blockquote> turned around a failing company, put thousands of dollars in shareholders’ pockets, boosted the superannuation of Mr and Mrs Average and prevented thousands from losing their jobs. </blockquote> Joyce, and all the best chief executives, she argued, were <blockquote> alchemists, strategists, innovators and geniuses. They have the sort of agile brains that produce solutions to problems which seem intractable. They lead not from a textbook but from an internal well of brilliance that seems constantly replenished. </blockquote> Further, executives like Joyce deserved to be rewarded for <blockquote> the risks they take, the entrepreneurship they exhibit, the education they’ve invested in and the particular brand of brilliance that comes along all too rarely. </blockquote> It’s been said before I’ve been examining the language used to describe Australia’s elite executives over the past 100 years, and what’s being said about Joyce is familiar - right down to the use of the word “genius”. This kind of talk, repeated for more than a century now, leads us astray if we keep repeating it. It creates misunderstandings about how large companies work. Chief executives aren’t superhuman, their characteristics are not those of their companies, they don’t single-handedly determine the fate of those companies or personally employ their workers, they aren’t necessarily selfless or patriotic, and they don’t necessarily have the best interests of the nation at heart. <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mackellar-sir-charles-kinnaird-7382">Sir Charles Mackellar</a>, chairman of the Mutual Life & Citizens’ Assurance Company and a director of a host of other companies including the Colonial Sugar Refining Company was labelled a “<a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15572188">genius</a>” when he died in 1914. FA Govett, the London-based head of Australia’s Zinc Corporation was labelled as a “<a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45952519">man of exceptional ability</a>” in 1926. Often they had higher ideals. <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/raws-sir-william-lennon-840">Sir William Lennon Raws</a>, a director of four of Australia’s biggest companies including BHP and Elder Smith, was a “<a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/146726001">well-meaning capitalist with a dream</a>”. Like Joyce and his contemporaries that work their “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/qantas-chief-executive-alan-joyce-deserved-to-make-24-million-in-2018/news-story/5b25597a186e24adedd01887165e398c">butts off to do the right thing</a>”, Raws was <blockquote> palpably rich and could be richer; but I doubt if the making of another million would be as much to him as the achievement of one of his cherished hopes. </blockquote> It’s their own work Executives have long been seen as the sole reason for their company’s success. In 2019, Joyce single-handedly “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/qantas-chief-executive-alan-joyce-deserved-to-make-24-million-in-2018/news-story/5b25597a186e24adedd01887165e398c">took a beleaguered company and transformed it</a>”. Similarly, in the late 1800s, BHP director <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/jamieson-william-6827">William Jamieson</a> was <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45936299">solely responsible</a> for the development of the Broken Hill region. <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/philp-sir-robert-8040">Robert Philp</a> of Burns Philp and Company was an Australian patriot who “<a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/120184641">controlled her destinies during a critical period</a>”. Industrialist and car manufacturer <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/holden-sir-edward-wheewall-7065">Edward Holden</a> worked tirelessly to “<a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129208064">benefit the state and the company”</a>. Corporate director and university chancellor <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/61634919">Sir Normand Maclaurin</a> was “endowed with talents of a very high order […] having at heart the welfare of the nation”. They’re exceptional Joyce’s success might be due to his “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/qantas-chief-executive-alan-joyce-deserved-to-make-24-million-in-2018/news-story/5b25597a186e24adedd01887165e398c">big dick energy</a>”, but he wasn’t the first. In the early 1900s, <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/pratt-joseph-major-8098">Joseph Pratt</a> – director of the National Bank of Australasia, the Land Mortgage Bank, the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company and Metropolitan Gas Company – was described in the most masculine of terms as a <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/145710392">big man</a> <blockquote> tall, erect, well-made and muscular. He has a pleasant, manly face, indicative of straightforwardness and goodness of disposition, and upon which grows a russet beard, containing a few grey hairs… </blockquote> <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sheldon-sir-mark-8411">Sir Mark Sheldon</a> - chairman of the Waterloo Glass Bottle Works, a director of the Australian Bank of Commerce, and vice president of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce - also <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/245762056/26911232">also big </a>, <blockquote> big in his outlook, his ideas, and his accomplishments. Perhaps his height (6 feet, 1.5 inches) enables him to look a bit farther ahead than the ordinary man </blockquote> Painting corporate chiefs like this gives corporations a human face. It helps convince customers and investors that their money is in safe hands. If Alan Joyce is a ‘good man’, then the Qantas Group is seen as a good company. It also makes executives untouchable. After all, if they are blessed with unique or exceptional abilities, and if their company is doing well (whatever the reason), it is hard to argue with the millions being spent on them. Even if it’s $24 million, even if it’s more.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124167/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Claire Wright, Research Fellow, Centre for Workforce Futures, Macquarie University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/painting-qantas-chief-executive-alan-joyce-as-a-superhero-is-part-of-a-long-australian-tradition-124167" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

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Where is Da Vinci’s $450m Jesus painting?

A highly anticipated exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s works at the Louvre is set to open on October 24. Nearly 120 of the Italian artist’s most famous art pieces will be brought together with Mona Lisa at the Paris museum to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his death. However, with less than two weeks to go before the show opens, there are doubts as to whether the popular Salvator Mundi – the first Leonardo to be found for more than a century – will be featured. The painting, which depicted Jesus in Renaissance dress, emerged as the world’s most expensive after it sold at a 2017 auction for US$450.3 million to Prince Badr bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The painting’s whereabouts is currently not known. New York art historian and dealer Robert Simon claimed he had heard that it was “being kept in a secure art storage facility in Switzerland” as of months ago, while <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-10/da-vinci-s-450-million-masterpiece-kept-on-mbs-s-yacht-artnet">Artnet.com</a> alleged it was stored on a superyacht owned by Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/salvator-mundi-set-to-be-a-no-show">The Art Newspaper</a> went further to claim that the Salvator Mundi will be “a no-show”, given that the museum had yet to secure the approval for the loan four weeks prior to the opening. A spokeswoman for the Louvre told the Observer: “I confirm the Louvre has asked for the loan of the Salvator Mundi. We don’t have the answer yet and thus, don’t have any further comment.” The painting’s authenticity has also been called into question. It was initially attributed to the “school of Giovanni Boltraffio”, a student of Leonardo’s, before it was upgraded to “a work by Boltraffio” in 1958. The piece was only authenticated as “an autograph work by Leonardo” in 2011. Several experts have challenged the attribution, with some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvator_Mundi_(Leonardo)#cite_note-nytimes.com-85">claiming</a> the painting was a “studio work with a little Leonardo at best”.

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Archibald prize finalists unveiled

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Queen Elizabeth II mural painted over

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Russian guard sentenced after doodling eyes on exhibit painting

Male artists dominate galleries. Our research explored if it’s because ‘women don’t paint very well’ – or just discrimination

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Self-taught 14-year-old artist offered thousands for paintings

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Million-dollar painting deemed almost worthless

BREAKING: Aussie invents game-changing coronavirus-killing paint

Kmart mum shocked with what was in a kid’s painting set

Why Australia paints Qantas CEO Alan Joyce as a superhero

Where is Da Vinci’s $450m Jesus painting?

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

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Information

Keep up to date

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Archibald prize finalists unveiled

Painting by four-legged Van Gogh sells for five figures

Queen Elizabeth II mural painted over

AI system sees beyond the frame of famous artworks

Russian guard sentenced after doodling eyes on exhibit painting

Male artists dominate galleries. Our research explored if it’s because ‘women don’t paint very well’ – or just discrimination

101-year-old reunited with painting looted by Nazis

Witness accused of painting Chris Dawson in “most monstrous” way possible

Banksy the dog recreates paintings of his namesake

Self-taught 14-year-old artist offered thousands for paintings

The offence of a child possessing spray paint without a lawful purpose in NSW

Artificial intelligence recreates destroyed paintings

Banksy pandemic painting sells for record amount

Erin Molan sues Daily Mail for painting her as a“racist”

Million-dollar painting deemed almost worthless

BREAKING: Aussie invents game-changing coronavirus-killing paint

Kmart mum shocked with what was in a kid’s painting set

Why Australia paints Qantas CEO Alan Joyce as a superhero

Where is Da Vinci’s $450m Jesus painting?

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