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* 1981, June: Michaela Brysha ''Hair Curler Series''<ref>''The Age'', Tuesday, June 16, 1981, p.10</ref><ref name=":0">Robert Rooney, 'Community mural in the making,' ''The Age'', Wednesday, June 17, 1981, p.10</ref>
* 1981, June: Michaela Brysha ''Hair Curler Series''<ref>''The Age'', Tuesday, June 16, 1981, p.10</ref><ref name=":0">Robert Rooney, 'Community mural in the making,' ''The Age'', Wednesday, June 17, 1981, p.10</ref>
*1981, July: Hector Gilliland drawings, [[Harold Cazneaux]] photographs<ref>''The Age'', Thursday, July 2, 1981, p.10</ref><ref>Anthony Clarke, 'Pioneers of the pictorial,' in ''The Age'', Friday, July 3, 1981, p.10</ref><ref>Robert Rooney, 'Patterns of Arkley,' in ''The Age'', Wednesday, July 15, 1981, p.10</ref>
*1981, July: Hector Gilliland drawings, [[Harold Cazneaux]] photographs<ref>''The Age'', Thursday, July 2, 1981, p.10</ref><ref>Anthony Clarke, 'Pioneers of the pictorial,' in ''The Age'', Friday, July 3, 1981, p.10</ref><ref>Robert Rooney, 'Patterns of Arkley,' in ''The Age'', Wednesday, July 15, 1981, p.10</ref>
*1981, July-August 18: John Walker<ref>Robert Rooney, 'Between wall and window,' in ''The Age'', Wednesday, July 22, 1981, p.10</ref><ref>''The Age'', Thursday, July 30, 1981, p.10</ref>
⚫
In summing up the year 1980, critic Brigid Cole-Adams described Axiom as a "good more conventional gallery with interesting contemporary work including both abstract and new realist styles."<ref>Brigid Cole-Adams, 'Looking back to a year of browsing in art', in ''The Age'', Tuesday, January 20, 1981, p. 17</ref>
* 1981, July-August 18: John Walker<ref>Robert Rooney, 'Between wall and window,' in ''The Age'', Wednesday, July 22, 1981, p.10</ref><ref>''The Age'', Thursday, July 30, 1981, p.10</ref>
* 1981, August: ''The Figure in Drawing and Painting'': [[John Brack]], [[William Frater]], [[Gil Jamieson]], [[Jon Molvig]], Merv Moriarty, Peter Powditch, [[Tony Underhill]]. Works on Paper, [[Jeremy Barrett (artist)|Jeremy Barrett]]<ref>Advertisement, ''The Age'', Saturday, August 15, 1981, p.26</ref><ref>''The Age'', Tuesday, August 18, 1981, p.10</ref>
*


⚫
In summing up the year 1980, critic Brigid Cole-Adams described Axiom as a "good more conventional gallery with interesting contemporary work including both abstract and new realist styles."<ref>Brigid Cole-Adams, 'Looking back to a year of browsing in art', in ''The Age'', Tuesday, January 20, 1981, p. 17</ref>
==Christine Abrahams Gallery==
==Christine Abrahams Gallery==
In December 1982 Axiom gallery closed and was eponymously renamed the Christine Abrahams Gallery, reopening on 12 February 1983.
In December 1982 Axiom gallery closed and was eponymously renamed the Christine Abrahams Gallery, reopening on 12 February 1983.


The building was converted in 1980 from a clothing factory by the architect of Abrahams' own 1982 Brighton residence,<ref>Greenwood, Helen, 'The Hide-Art', ''Plenty'', vol. 5, November/January 1990 pp.42-44 (Abrahams House, Brighton, photographs by Ashley Evans).</ref> [[Daryl Jackson]], who preserved the industrial aesthetic of exposed trusses, bare concrete floors and steel roller-door. Jackson himself exhibited at the gallery in April 1984, showing drawings and models for a 'more humane' neo-industrial style.<ref>Murdoch, Anna (1984) 'Dealing with other people's truths'. In The Age Thursday April 5, 1984, p.14</ref><ref>Holloway, Memory (1984) 'Stimulating architecture'. In The Age, Wednesday March 28 1984, p.14.</ref> Critic Robert Rooney described the renovation as "spacious and well-planned, and an ideal setting for...large
The building was converted in 1980 from a clothing factory by the architect of Abrahams' own 1982 Brighton residence,<ref>Greenwood, Helen, 'The Hide-Art', ''Plenty'', vol. 5, November/January 1990 pp.42-44 (Abrahams House, Brighton, photographs by Ashley Evans).</ref> [[Daryl Jackson]], who preserved the industrial aesthetic of exposed trusses, bare concrete floors and steel roller-door. Jackson himself exhibited at the gallery in April 1984, showing drawings and models for a 'more humane' neo-industrial style.<ref>Murdoch, Anna (1984) 'Dealing with other people's truths'. In The Age Thursday April 5, 1984, p.14</ref><ref>Holloway, Memory (1984) 'Stimulating architecture'. In The Age, Wednesday March 28 1984, p.14.</ref> Critic Robert Rooney described the renovation as "spacious and well-planned, and an ideal setting for...large paintings." The configuration of the gallery with a smaller space to the left of the main gallery allowed for shows of 'works on paper' (usually drawings, photographs, or prints) simultaneously with shows of larger paintings.
paintings."


Christine Abrahams Gallery showed a broad spectrum of visual arts by contemporary artists, architects, sculptors, potters, photographers, jewellers, and furniture makers. It was operated after Christine's death in 1994 by her son Guy Abrahams, who had been co-director since 1987.
Christine Abrahams Gallery showed a broad spectrum of visual arts by contemporary artists, architects, sculptors, potters, photographers, jewellers, and furniture makers. It was operated after Christine's death in 1994 by her son Guy Abrahams, who had been co-director since 1987.

Revision as of 10:14, 9 March 2020

Christine Abrahams was a gallery director and major supporter of contemporary Australian art in Melbourne since the 1970s.

Life

Artist Lenton Parr said of Christine that she valued art "as a gift to the spirit and a source of pleasure and enlightenment."[1] She was Manager of Powell Street Gallery between 1976 and 1980 (the lessees were Melbourne solicitor Harry Curtis and a Caulfield doctor, David Rosenthal), and a Co-Director of Axiom Gallery from 1980 to 1982 which was established in March 1980 at 27 Gipps Street Richmond, an inner, once-industrial, suburb of Melbourne, in the same precinct as an increasing number of other commercial galleries, including the long-running Pinacotheca and Church Street Centre for Photography.

Axiom gallery exhibitions curator

Axiom's opening show consisted of large abstract paintings by Sydney Ball, Fred Cress, John Walker and John Firth-Smith, selling at between $700 $9500,[2] and was followed by a solo of works by photographer David Moore.[3][4]

Other exhibitions include;

In summing up the year 1980, critic Brigid Cole-Adams described Axiom as a "good more conventional gallery with interesting contemporary work including both abstract and new realist styles."[25]

Christine Abrahams Gallery

In December 1982 Axiom gallery closed and was eponymously renamed the Christine Abrahams Gallery, reopening on 12 February 1983.

The building was converted in 1980 from a clothing factory by the architect of Abrahams' own 1982 Brighton residence,[26] Daryl Jackson, who preserved the industrial aesthetic of exposed trusses, bare concrete floors and steel roller-door. Jackson himself exhibited at the gallery in April 1984, showing drawings and models for a 'more humane' neo-industrial style.[27][28] Critic Robert Rooney described the renovation as "spacious and well-planned, and an ideal setting for...large paintings." The configuration of the gallery with a smaller space to the left of the main gallery allowed for shows of 'works on paper' (usually drawings, photographs, or prints) simultaneously with shows of larger paintings.

Christine Abrahams Gallery showed a broad spectrum of visual arts by contemporary artists, architects, sculptors, potters, photographers, jewellers, and furniture makers. It was operated after Christine's death in 1994 by her son Guy Abrahams, who had been co-director since 1987.

The gallery closed after 25 years in November 2008.

Influence

Christine initiated the influential Australian Contemporary Art Fair (now Melbourne Art Fair)[29] and was a member of its organising committee in 1988, 1990 and 1992.

She was on the board of the Fifth Australian Sculpture Triennial (1993) and was a member of the Visual Art Export Group of the Australia Council and the Craft Council of Victoria.

References

  1. ^ Parr, Lenton (October 1994). "Obituary". Art Monthly Australia. p. 40.
  2. ^ Robert Rooney, 'Fascination out of obscurity', in The Age, Friday, May 9, 1980
  3. ^ Advertisement, The Age, Saturday, May 31, 1980, p.20
  4. ^ Tony Perry, 'Moore wins recognition,' in The Age, Monday, 23 Jun 1980, p.10
  5. ^ Robert Rooney, 'A Colossus revisited,' in The Age, Thursday, 03 Jul 1980, p.10
  6. ^ Robert Rooney, 'Rocky's abstracts go the distance,' The Age, Thursday, July 24, 1980, p.10
  7. ^ Robert Rooney, 'Nomadic Hickey's new brush look,' The Age, Wednesday, September 24, 1980, p.10
  8. ^ Advertisement, The Age, Saturday 13 December, 1980, p.25
  9. ^ The Age, Friday, February 6, 1981, p.35<ref>The Age, Wednesday, February 4, 1981, p.10
  10. ^ Robert Rooney, 'Greeted by Eric Thake', in The Age, Wednesday, February 11, 1981, p.10
  11. ^ Robert Rooney, 'Grandest quest in close-up', in The Age, Wednesday, February 25, 1981, p.10
  12. ^ IThe Age, Friday, March 6, 1981, p.10
  13. ^ Anthony Clarke, 'Images of Freund', in The Age, Thursday, April 16, 1981, p.10
  14. ^ Tony Perry, 'The graphic master', in The Age, Wednesday, May 20, 1981, p.10
  15. ^ Rita Erlich, 'Roy Churcher's view,' in The Age, Tuesday, June 9, 1981, p.10
  16. ^ a b Robert Rooney, 'Community mural in the making,' The Age, Wednesday, June 17, 1981, p.10
  17. ^ The Age, Tuesday, June 16, 1981, p.10
  18. ^ The Age, Thursday, July 2, 1981, p.10
  19. ^ Anthony Clarke, 'Pioneers of the pictorial,' in The Age, Friday, July 3, 1981, p.10
  20. ^ Robert Rooney, 'Patterns of Arkley,' in The Age, Wednesday, July 15, 1981, p.10
  21. ^ Robert Rooney, 'Between wall and window,' in The Age, Wednesday, July 22, 1981, p.10
  22. ^ The Age, Thursday, July 30, 1981, p.10
  23. ^ Advertisement, The Age, Saturday, August 15, 1981, p.26
  24. ^ The Age, Tuesday, August 18, 1981, p.10
  25. ^ Brigid Cole-Adams, 'Looking back to a year of browsing in art', in The Age, Tuesday, January 20, 1981, p. 17
  26. ^ Greenwood, Helen, 'The Hide-Art', Plenty, vol. 5, November/January 1990 pp.42-44 (Abrahams House, Brighton, photographs by Ashley Evans).
  27. ^ Murdoch, Anna (1984) 'Dealing with other people's truths'. In The Age Thursday April 5, 1984, p.14
  28. ^ Holloway, Memory (1984) 'Stimulating architecture'. In The Age, Wednesday March 28 1984, p.14.
  29. ^ "Established galleries featured at art fair". Australian Jewish News. 9 September 2008.
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