Book Review
Alan McCulloch, Susan McCulloch, Emily McCulloch Childs
Aus Art Editions in association with The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne 2006 Available direct www.ausart.com.au RRP $295
‘The last word has always been written in the sand.’Bill Moyes ‘When we look at a rock, what we see in not the rock but the effect of the rock upon us.’Bertrand Russell.
‘The last word has always been written in the sand.’Bill Moyes
‘When we look at a rock, what we see in not the rock but the effect of the rock upon us.’Bertrand Russell.
The latest edition of McCulloch’s Encyclopedia presents a remarkable achievement. Direct comparison with its 1968 predecessor in terms of size, complexity and even the increased categorisation in the new edition is a telling indication of how the visual arts industry has burgeoned in the last thirty years (and by the way puts the lie to the widespread affectation that the arts is not an industry and therefore not about commerce).
On a personal level it describes a devotion to the visual arts by the McCulloch family that spans three generations. This massive information tool builds on the success of the historical perspective authored by Alan McCulloch. Having said that, the Encyclopedia’s significant expansion, from a simple reference tool to a comprehensive information book covering the gamut of Australian art, has been driven by Susan McCulloch and daughter Emily who have taken the 250,000 word edition penned by Alan McCulloch to 1.2 million words. It now includes general essays on Australian art, Aboriginal art, and thousands of new entries, and the entirely new categories on Auctions, collections, trusts and foundations; Exhibitions; Public art galleries and art museums; Private art galleries; Prizes, awards and scholarships; and Schools and universities. Tony Tuckson’s work White on black with paper, c.1970-73 from the collection of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, provides the backdrop to the hardcover edition, slipcover and design elements throughout the book.
As an arts writer and worker for over two decades I am