McCahon ‘not profitable enough for Australia’

Press, 13 December 1989, Page 24

McCahon ‘not profitable enough for Australia’

By

SARONA IOSEFA

Australian art lovers will miss seeing the works of Colin McCahon, “potentially the greatest artist of the region, possibly the southern hemisphere” because Australian galleries do not think his works will attract enough people and profit, says the “Sydney Morning Herald” art critic, John McDonald. McDonald, and another art writer, Murray Hail,

flew to Christchurch last week to see the last two days of the McCahon exhibition before it leaves for England. McDonald says they were not disappointed. Hail says little of McCahon’s work is viewed

in Australia yet he has a profound influence in Melbourne where he lived for a short period. He was said to have been torn between Melbourne and New Zealand.

“Yet we don’t even get his exhibition over there.

“If any New Zealand artist should be brought over to Australia, it should have been McCahon,” Hail says.

McDonald says McCahon was unique in that he was a distinct individual. Unlike other painters he never confused the viewer about his beliefs.

“You never feel that

way with McCahon — the words, images are his.

“Other artists try to imitate other great artists but he (McCahon) took those influences and transformed them into a distinctive vision of his own, using words to animate,” McDonald says.

Hail describes McCahon as a rare artist who questioned doubts and beliefs in religion in a convincing way.

“He was fighting with his belief in God all his life, and I think the paintings which he used to portray that are a noble effort.”

McDonald feels it is rather ironic that while McCahon tried to transcend the monetary values put on life, the Australian art galleries based their judgments on holding the McCahon show in Australia on those same values.

"It’s sad that in spite of New Zealand and Australia’s near proximity there is very little art exchanged between the two. He would like to travel around the regional centres of New Zealand to see the work being done in the smaller towns.

“I’m a devout regionalist. Artists like McCahon have proven that some of the greatest artists can come from countries as far away from main stream art as New Zealand and Australia,” he says.