NSW State Library’s priceless ‘bad art’ collection celebrated in lavish new book
“They may not be good works of art, but they suggest great stories.”
The State Library’s priceless, little-known collection of ‘bad art’ is being celebrated with the launch of a lavish, full-colour publication Reading the Rooms: Behind the paintings of the State Library of NSW (NewSouth Books), available 1 December 2023.
“It’s a bibliophile’s dream, designed to be a true work of art,” says Mitchell Librarian Richard Neville, who co-edited the richly illustrated 360-page hardback with author and historian Dr Rachel Franks. The book was made possible through the generosity of Lord Glendonbrook CBE AM.
Reading the Rooms is a stunning companion to the Library’s extraordinary salon‐style hang of over 300 oil paintings, which has been a permanent fixture since 2018. It delivers the first authoritative account of these fascinatingly eclectic works, some by renowned artists like Conrad Martens, John Glover and Judy Cassab, and ranging in date from the 1790s to 2015.
“It’s a surprise to many that the State Library holds one of the nation’s largest collections of Australian art, and there’s a good reason for that — many artworks created in the 18th and 19th century ended up in libraries instead of art galleries as they were often seen as second rate, or downright bad!” says Richard.
“But their true value is in what they can tell us about our past: the ambitions and preoccupations of our European ancestors, the changing landscapes of Australia, the evolving streetscapes showing life in our developing cities, suburbs and rural townships, and the changing trends in portraiture.”
The book’s 50 contributors — curators, librarians, historians, authors, artists and art lovers — were invited to critique the selected works, amusing and informing readers with little-known stories through a 21st century lens.
For instance, Dixson Librarian Louise Anemaat discovered that the 1870s portraits of Macpherson sisters, Isabel and Emily (the grandmother of famous Australian photographer David Moore), were based on photographs taken in Sydney and sent to China to be turned into oil paintings by the well-known Canton artist of the time, Youqua.