MELBOURNE.- Heide Museum of Modern Art has unveiled John Perceval: All That We Are, the first major survey exhibition of works by the maverick Australian artist John Perceval since 1992. Curated by Heide’s Head Curator Kendrah Morgan, the exhibition is now showing in the Main Galleries until 12 July 2026.

This exhibition continues Heide’s long-standing commitment to artists of the Heide Circle, following a series of significant exhibitions presented over the past two decades.

John Perceval: All That We Are brings together more than 100 works spanning three decades, drawn from significant public and private collections, including several masterpieces that have rarely been seen.

A highlight of the exhibition is a rare collection of 28 of Perceval’s ceramic angel sculptures, alongside an award-winning yet little-known 1962 animated film featuring the angels, directed by Tim Burstall and produced by Patrick Ryan, titled The Dance of the Angels: Ceramic Sculptures by John Perceval. This will be the first time the angles have been shown together on this scale.

A central figure in the creative circle associated with John and Sunday Reed at Heide, John Perceval was a significant contributor to the evolution of Australian modernism. By the age of nineteen, he was already producing works of considerable technical skill and psychological intensity. Over the following decades, he experimented across painting, drawing, ceramics and sculpture, exploring an expansive range of subjects while remaining deeply engaged with the complexity of the human condition.

All That We Are traces Perceval’s creative development from the late 1930s, beginning with experimental early works that showcase his ability to tap into the world of childhood experience and the joys and anxieties of being human. Carnivalesque scenes and recurring motifs, such as jack-in-the-box toys, clowns and domestic animals, reveal how seemingly innocuous objects and characters can become unsettling, foreshadowing darker psychological themes.

The exhibition includes a selection of Perceval’s night images painted during the Second World War, when US troops arrived in Melbourne in 1942 following the bombing of Darwin. These works depict a city transformed by entertainment and nightlife, alongside visions of hardship and human suffering and the subdued atmosphere of Melbourne’s wartime ‘brownout’.

In the post-war period, Perceval worked closely with fellow Australian artist Arthur Boyd, studying the European old masters and translating their narrative scenes of teeming life and energetic compositions into the local context. This period is further represented through a selection of unique ceramic objects including tiled tabletops and vessels produced during Perceval’s time at the Arthur Merric Boyd Pottery in Murrumbeena, Melbourne.

Works from the mid to late 1950s include a range of expressive land and seascapes, with several paintings from Perceval’s renowned Williamstown series that capture the lively docks, shipyards and waters of Williamstown, Victoria, and are marked by an increasing vibrancy and freedom of approach.

Head Curator, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Kendrah Morgan says: “Heide is delighted to present ‘John Perceval: All That We Are’, an exhibition that resonates with the profound humanism underpinning the artist’s entire oeuvre. I’ve been thinking about this project for several years, and it’s a privilege to finally bring together such a comprehensive survey that reflects both the breadth and humanity of Perceval’s practice. We are deeply grateful to the many lenders, in particular the private collectors, who have generously allowed us to showcase their cherished works and present a full picture of these important years of Perceval’s career.”

Always Modern: Radical Nurture is showing concurrently in the Heide Cottage, exploring the early decades of Heide, when art and life were deeply intertwined. Guest curated by Lily Mora, granddaughter of Heide Circle artist Mirka Mora, the exhibition is on view until 9 August 2026. Featuring more than 60 works from the Heide

Collection and the Estate of Mirka Mora - including works by Sam Atyeo, Charles Blackman, Joy Hester, Mirka Mora, Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Albert Tucker and Danila Vassilieff - the exhibition celebrates artists who broke from social convention, living and working alongside founders John and Sunday Reed in a uniquely nurturing environment. It positions Heide as both home and catalyst: a place where living differently became a creative act, allowing Australian modernism to take root and flourish.