Reading the Rooms
Behind the Paintings of the State Library of NSW
Published on 1. December 2023
Book
Hardback
360 pages
978-1-74223-801-2 (ISBN)
Description
The incredible painting collection of the State Library of New South Wales is documented for the first time.
The State Library of New South Wales holds an unrivalled collection of oil paintings. Unlike an art gallery where the focus is usually on aesthetic excellence, the rationale behind the Library's collecting is broad and often eclectic. It features works from artists such as Conrad Martens and John Glover, and others of variable quality, execution and skill, with a range of formats and diversity of subjects that tell us much about Australia.
Reading the Rooms reveals this little-known -- but rich and highly significant -- collection. It delivers a fascinating and authoritative account of hundreds of paintings, and a compelling argument for their importance.
The State Library of New South Wales holds an unrivalled collection of oil paintings. Unlike an art gallery where the focus is usually on aesthetic excellence, the rationale behind the Library's collecting is broad and often eclectic. It features works from artists such as Conrad Martens and John Glover, and others of variable quality, execution and skill, with a range of formats and diversity of subjects that tell us much about Australia.
Reading the Rooms reveals this little-known -- but rich and highly significant -- collection. It delivers a fascinating and authoritative account of hundreds of paintings, and a compelling argument for their importance.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Sydney, NSW
Australia
Dimensions
Height: 300 mm
Width: 240 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-74223-801-2 (9781742238012)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Richard Neville, a graduate of the University of Sydney, is the Mitchell Librarian and Director, Engagement at the State Library of New South Wales. With a research background in 19th-century Australian art and culture, he has curated numerous exhibitions and published widely on colonial art and society. He has also been extensively involved in the acquisition, arrangement, description and promotion of the Library's renowned Australian research collections. He is the author of Mr JW Lewin: Painter and Naturalist (2012).
Rachel Franks is the coordinator of scholarship at the State Library of New South Wales. She holds PhDs in Australian crime fiction (Central Queensland University) and in true crime texts (University of Sydney). A qualified educator and librarian, her extensive work on crime fiction, true crime, popular culture and information science has been presented at numerous conferences, as well as on radio and television. An award-winning writer, her research can be found in a wide variety of books, journals, magazines and online resources. She is the author of An Uncommon Hangman: The Life and Deaths of Robert 'Nosey Bob' Howard (2022).
Rachel Franks is the coordinator of scholarship at the State Library of New South Wales. She holds PhDs in Australian crime fiction (Central Queensland University) and in true crime texts (University of Sydney). A qualified educator and librarian, her extensive work on crime fiction, true crime, popular culture and information science has been presented at numerous conferences, as well as on radio and television. An award-winning writer, her research can be found in a wide variety of books, journals, magazines and online resources. She is the author of An Uncommon Hangman: The Life and Deaths of Robert 'Nosey Bob' Howard (2022).