The history of Australia

Richard Lewer
Australia
1970

The history of Australia
2017
oil on steel, copper and brass
Place made
Melbourne
Medium
oil on steel, copper and brass
Dimensions
141.0 x 720.0 cm (overall)
Credit line
Gift of Helen Bowden 2018
Accession number
20182P1(a-i)
Signature and date
Signed and dated verso of each panel, fibre-tipped pen "RLewer/ 2018".
Provenance
The artist, Melbourne.
Media category
Painting
Collection area
Australian paintings
Copyright
Courtesy the artist and Hugo Michell Gallery, Adelaide
Image credit
Photos: Andrew Curtis

  • Richard Lewer channels stories of human suffering through his signature drawings, paintings and animations. Born and raised in Hamilton, New Zealand, Lewer studied at the Elam School of Fine Art, Auckland University, before moving to Melbourne in 2000 to undertake a Master of Visual Arts at the Victoria College of the Arts, University of Melbourne.

    Across nine panels in oil paint on copper, brass or steel, Lewer, through The history of Australia, 2017, sought to present an episodic visual history of the atrocities marking Australia’s past. From imagining life before the European presence, to the arrival of the First Fleet and the impact on Aboriginal people through colonisation, Lewer has graphically illustrated massacres and the Stolen Generation. He depicts the Anzac soldiers leaving the shores to fight in the First World War, as well as the boat journeys attempted a century later by refugees and asylum-seekers. He has also captured the violent protests against racism in the twenty-first century and the rise of white supremacy through alt-right nationalist groups. Lewer’s version of Australia’s history is unapologetic and urgent.

    The artist explains his work: ‘I hope to provide social-realist commentary that documents and helps to understand key events in Australia’s history, events I believe have shaped the Australia we live in today, events from 65,000 years ago till now’

    Leigh Robb, Curator of Contemporary Art

  • [Book] AGSA 500.