Exhibition review

     The strength of the Kaldor family collection is also what sets it apart from other exihibitions. At first glance, the collection lacks an immediate overall cohesion. However, the main undercurrent throughout the exhibition was that the artworks are contemporary, giving the viewer the privilege of experiencing a variety of art from culturally important artists. Several artists like Carl Andre have a few artworks featured, which allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the artists oeuvre. The artworks which once adorned ‘adorned the walls and mantelpieces of his [John Kaldor] Sydney family home and offices’1 were donated to the gallery by businessman and art collector Kaldor. Having just been to Marking Time, I couldn’t help but compare the two exhibitions. Marking Time had a very obvious theme while this exhibition has been amassed over several decades connected by one man’s love of art; this exhibition has accomplished something different. 

     It features art from different movements. By devoting rooms to certain styles the viewer can become absorbed in experiencing the artworks. Four of Carl Andre’s minimalist sculptures, which are constructed from natural materials, are featured. Jeff Koon’s sculptures, provide intersection between pop culture and high art. Split-rocker (1999) is a brilliant example of this. Sol De Wit’s installations Wall drawing #1091: arcs, circles and bands is eye catching, its use of line giving a fluid aspect to the solid form of the room’s wall. Wall drawing #303 examines spatial relations in a different way, the large geometric shapes with thin lines emphasising the flatness of the wall , with the horizontal lines highlighting the points where the wall ends, including it in the four dimensional space of the room. Christo's soft sculptures are featured. As Groom writes

The series of wrapped objects by Christo might be seen as a challenge to his oft-cited claim that his works of art were designed to disappear upon completion... What soon became evident was that live, ephemeral, cheap, reproducible and unseen art could be bought and sold, and decommodification would itself be commodified.2

     For me, the most exciting element of this exhibition is that major sculptors like Robert Raschenberg are displayed. Having been renovated, the gallery has enough space to present larger scale sculptures and installations. With a variety of artworks, the Kaldor family collection provides an interesting glimpse of how multifaceted contemporary art is. It is an event that allowed a novice like me a chance to take the first step inside the exciting paradigm of the contemporary art world. 

1 Black S, John Kaldor gives away his $35 million collection of a lifetime, Herald Sun
2 Groom A, John Kaldor Family Collection, Frieze, Issue 141, September 2011 

Bibliography 
Black S, John Kaldor gives away his $35 million collection of a lifetime, Herald Sun, 18/05/2011 viewed: 30/04/2012 
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/john-kaldor-gives-away-his-35-million-collection-of-a-lifetime/story-e6frf7l6-1226057911673 
Groom A, John Kaldor Family Collection, Frieze, Issue 141, September 2011 viewed: 30/04/2012 http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/john-kaldor-family-collection/