Kiffy Rubbo: curating the 1970s

Product Description

Kiffy Rubbo was a dynamic and unique force in Australian art in the 1970s. Under her leadership, the George Paton Gallery, at the University of Melbourne, became a centre for contemporary art, ideas, and discussion. Charismatic and visionary, Rubbo's directorship from 1971 to 1980, alongside assistant director Meredith Rogers, led to the gallery becoming known as a vital, nationally recognised venue, the first institutionally supported experimental art space.

Under her radical curatorship, the George Paton Gallery was transformed into a hub for art-political activism. Importantly, it became the home for feminist enterprises such as the Women's Art Movement and the Women's Art Register, as well as publications such as the Art Almanac and Arts Melbourne. Major contemporary artists such as Elizabeth Gower, Stelarc, Peter Tyndall, and Lyndal Jones were early exhibitors at the gallery. Women's and political art, performance and video, photography and sculpture were all showcased by the enthusiastic and supportive Rubbo.

With contributions by many significant curators, artists, and critics, Kiffy Rubbo: curating the 1970s explores for the first time Rubbo's enduring legacy - and the immense role that she played in nurturing visual-art culture in Australia.