"Encounters with Australian Modern Art" represents a vital milestone in the presentation of Australian art to a world-wide readership. It is published in French and English, and lavishly illustrated with more than 200 iconic images, many drawn from the collection of the TarraWarra museum of Art. Maudie Palmer, Director of the Museum and Editor of the book, devised its concept and selected the authors. They, like herself and the Besen's, have witnessed first-hand the development of Australian Modernism during the second half of the twentieth century when the careers of its leading artist practitioners were firmly established. During those decades, many of these became acknowledged national identites - some enjoying overseas acclaim. The authors - Christopher Heathcote, Patrick MacCaughey and Sarah Thomas - have each adopted a unique approach to their text, bringing fresh visions to our understanding of images that may sometimes look strange to us and rest of the world. Christopher Heathcote explores the art of the 1950s and 60s post-war reconstruction era. It witnessed the expansion of Australian suburbs and their growing populations of idiosyncratic urbanites.
During these decades the earlier Australian landscape painting tradition survived and was further strengthened by the creations of artists like John Olsen and Fred Williams. Patrick MacCaughey's approach is both refreshing and revealing. He pairs artists such as Brett Whiteley and Fred Williams; John Brack and Roger Kemp, and John Olsen and Jeffrey Smart. Intriguing insights emerge as he explores the affinities and differences that exist between their approaches. Sarah Thomas had women the complex task of drawing together the rich plurality of the changing art world from the mid-1980s, a time when women artists came to the fore. Her spectrum includes the introduction of the new technologies and the escalation of cultural connections within Australia and with Asia and the world at large.