Gentle Protagonist: Art of Michael McWilliams opened to the public on 14 December at the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery in Launceston. This survey is a ‘retrospective’ of the work of a much-loved Tasmanian living artist.
Michael McWilliams is one of Australia’s most successful and widely-recognised artists. His quirky and whimsical landscapes, depicting wildlife, and domestic and feral species, in Tasmanian bushland, farmyards, gardens and houses, have captivated audiences around Australia and internationally. His works project a great affection for his subjects and while often humorous, can also carry a darker observation on human effects on the environment.
The exhibition, and a companion publication to be available in February 2025, will be the first holistic survey of McWilliams’ art, exploring his life and career, his place in the canon of Australian and international art, and his empathy with the wildlife and natural environment of Tasmania. Works displayed at the Art Gallery at Royal Park span his career over three decades and a drawn from galleries and private collections around the country.
Born in Launceston in 1956, McWilliams lives and paints at his historic house near Evandale in northern, Tasmania. He won the inaugural Glover Prize (2004) and the Waterhouse Art Prize (2005 and 2008). His highly detailed and quintessentially Tasmanian work often features strong conservation themes. Gentle Protagonist: Art of Michael McWilliams will feature paintings as well decorated furniture, including a table on loan from National Trust Tasmania property, Clarendon Estate. Entitled The Thin Line (2009), it is superbly painted with images of Tasmanian native animals under threat.
This exhibition is a must-see experience for all Tasmanians and anyone who loves Tasmania.
Images: Michael McWilliams, image by Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane (above); Michael McWilliams, The Thin Line (2009), National Trust Tasmania Clarendon collection (below)
