This exhibition was on display at State Library of Queensland from 14 August to 28 November 2010.
The following is an excerpt from this exhibition.
NORMAN LINDSAY(1879-1969)
Vision: a literary quarterly,
issue 1 cover 1923
Australia has nurtured a number of remarkable families that have made a significant contribution to the nation’s cultural heritage and identity through their combined artistic talents, reputations and activities. Amongst the most renowned and probably the most prolific are the Lindsays. Their cultural legacy spans artistic disciplines, centuries and generations.
Australians today would be familiar with Norman Lindsay as one of our cultural icons through his children‘s classic, The Magic Pudding, and his notoriety as an artist who championed artistic freedom by challenging public mores. Norman, however, was one of five gifted siblings in a family of ten children, touched by the artistic muse.
Artists, writers and publishers, they were influential in shaping the course of Australian art and literature at the turn of the twentieth century. Through their example, encouragement and criticism some members of this first generation of Lindsays would also foster aspiring writers and artists, including their own children and friends, to support and take up the arts.
While much has been written about the Lindsays’ contribution to Australian art, their role within Australian literature has yet to be fully assessed. This exhibition provides an overview of their endeavours in the publishing field from their role as illustrators to their contribution as poets, authors and publishers. Its content reflects the family’s ties to Queensland and their associations with notable Queensland authors.
The Lindsays: artists, writers and publishers has been selected from the State Library of Queensland’s Lindsay Collection of Pat Corrigan. Donated by Mr Patrick Corrigan AM throughout the 1990s, the collection includes rare and deluxe publications as well as more than 3,000 Lindsay family letters, correspondence and memorabilia dating from 1880.
The exhibition has been supported by loans from private and public collections. The State Library of Queensland acknowledges the generous support of Helen Glad and the sponsorship of the Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library of the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery.
Exhibition themes
- Pent up creativity – from one generation to the next [new window
48kb] - The Bulletin, The Lone Hand and creating a national identity [new window 46kb]
- Writing, self publishing and collaborative deluxe editions: a classical revival [new window 45kb]
- Fanfrolico Press [new window 48kb]
- Literature for young Australians and the young at heart [new window 44kb]
Exhibition images and extracts
- View a selection of images from the exhibition
- Room Brochure [new window 1mb]
- Audio extracts from letters in the exhibition
For further information
- Australian Library of Art
- The Lindsay Collection of Pat Corrigan
- Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library, Toowoomba [new window]
More information
- Phone: +61 7 3840 7768
- Email: learningparticipation@slq.qld.gov.au
Last updated: 14th December 2011
Creatively engaging people with information, knowledge and community
