CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA.- The National Gallery of Australia presents today "First Impressions: The early history of lithography - a comparative survey," on view through August 24, 2003. This exhibition will draw on the impressive volume of work that forms part of the Gallery’s Felix Man Collection, much of which has never been on display before. The exhibition includes early works by Aloys Senefelder (the inventor of the technique) and works such as Goya’s The Division of the arena 1825, Daumier’s images from La caricature, and images by key practitioners of the 20th century such as Picasso. Also  included will be classic examples of the commercial use of lithography, such as Roger Soubie’s movie poster Lolita 1962 and Leonetto Cappiello’s famous poster Nitrolian 1929.
In 1912, the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board began purchasing works of art for the National Collection. These works were, in the main, portraits of Australians renowned in politics, art, literature and science. These acquisitions continued throughout the following decades, with serious collecting of Australian art increasing in the late 1960s, followed by acquisitions of international art in the early 1970s.
In 1967 Prime Minister Harold Holt announced that the government would build an Australian National Gallery in Canberra to house the National Collection. A limited national architectural competition was announced. The contract for the design was won by the architectural firm, Edwards, Madigan and Torzillo International Pty Ltd.