J.W. Power and Interwar Abstraction

The 1920s and 1930s, often referred to as the “interwar” period, was for Europe a time of great ferment, characterised by revolutionary breakthroughs in science, an economic depression and the terrifying threats of totalitarianism and world war. In the midst of this, avant-garde artists from across the world converged on Europe to conduct a series of radical experiments with form, using abstraction to offer new ways of thinking about perception, technology and the human body.  

This day-long symposium will draw together Australian and international art historians and curators to present new research on the ideas, histories and networks that underpinned these experiments.   

The Symposium is organized in conjunction with the Chau Chak Wing Museum’s landmark exhibition of work by the Australian abstract painter JW Power, curated by Ann Stephen and ADS Donaldson. The symposium will explore the complex artistic and political ferment from which Power’s art emerged. 

Presented by the Power Institute with support from the Chau Chak Wing Museum.