Creating a scene: the role of artists’ groups in the development of Brisbane’s art world 1940-1970

Abstract

This study offers an analysis of Brisbane's art world through the lens of artists' groups operating in the city between 1940 and 1970. It argues that in the absence of more extensive or well-developed art institutions, artists' groups played a crucial role in the growth of Brisbane's art world. Rather than focusing on an examination of ideas about art or assuming the inherently ‗philistine' and ‗provincial' nature of Brisbane's art world, the thesis examines the nature of the city's main art institutions, including facilities for art education, the art market, conservation and collection of art, and writing about art. Compared to the larger Australian cities, these dimensions of the art world remained relatively underdeveloped in Brisbane, and it is in this context that groups such as the