The National Gallery of Victoria is celebrating its 50th year in its St Kilda Road building by looking back at its first ever exhibition, The Field. That exhibition defied the expectations of the arts world, who expected the gallery to open with some international superstar. Instead, it celebrated emerging Australian contemporary artists, the youngest of whom was then 21-year-old Robert Hunter.
Hunter, who died in 2014, had a long association with the NGV, and soon after his appearance in The Field went on to become an internationally successful artist. Across his 40-year career he maintained a distinctive style, creating geometric paintings out of different shades of white house paint and masking tape. The white-on-white paintings are meticulously crafted and test the limits of visual perception.