ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA.- The first retrospective of one of Australia’s most enigmatic artists has stunned audiences in Sydney and Melbourne. Now it’s Adelaide’s turn to get reacquainted with Conder… Charles Conder (1868 – 1909) led an extraordinary ife of artistic achievement and hedonistic excess. An elegant, handsome and charismatic man, Conder enjoyed a short but dazzling career which brought him international success and placed him at the centre of creative activity in late 19th Century Sydney, Melbourne, Paris and London. The British born artist spent six crucial years in Australia during which he produced some of his finest work. Together with his artist friends Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin, Conder pioneered the so-called Heidelberg school of Australian Impressionism and with Roberts, instigated the landmark ‘9 by 5’ Impression exhibition of 1889. Among Conder’s many light-filled scenes of antipodean beaches and blossom is his masterpiece, A holiday at Mentone 1888. One of the most popular and widely-recognised works in the Art Gallery of South Australia’s collection, it is one of the highlights of this exhibition. A number of his skilful ‘cigar box lid’ paintings and Conder’s promotional poster from the ‘9 by 5’ exhibition also feature. Conder was truly a legendary figure of fin-de-siècle Europe, as well as Australia. At home in London, the artist counted Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, Charles Sickert and Ernest Dowson among his close friends while over in Paris, he spent much of his time at the formidable Moulin Rouge with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and his contemporaries. Conder himself appears in a number of Toulouse-Lautrec’s figure compositions and is the subject of a portrait by the famed artist. 

The Charles Conder retrospective brings together for the first time around 70 of his paintings, drawings and prints from collections in Australia, Europe and America. Of particular interest are Conder’s exquisite paintings on silk, including silk fans, and a number of 19th Century French novels and poetry books which he illustrated. The Art Gallery of South Australia is fortunate in owning an important Conder collection which is much-loved by the South Australian public. This exhibition will be a revelation for those familiar with Conder’s Australian pictures to see them displayed next to the later works created by him in France, England and Algeria which are richly-coloured, sumptuous depictions of his bohemian lifestyle. Charles Conder 1868 – 1909 is an exhibition organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It will be on view at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide through Monday 26 January 2004. 

A full public program has been scheduled around the exhibition and includes curator floor talks, exhibition walkthroughs with passionate Charles Conder collector and major Gallery benefactor, Max Carter AO, as well as children’s art and craft activities and a French language talk. CHARLES CONDER 1868 – 1909 Art Gallery of South Australia North Terrace Adelaide SA 5000