Find all of the Best New Contemporary Australian Artists for 2024 in One Place
We are excited to share that the Art Lovers Australia Art Collectors Book 2024 has now been released! This incredible collection of contemporary Australian artists is the perfect way to discover the best new emerging artists as well as check in on your favourite established artists too. This annual compendium has become a vital reference for Australian contemporary art with its extensive inclusion of Australian artists and the broad inclusive subject matter through which they work. The artist’s backgrounds are incredibly diverse, hailing from around the world, which provides a unique blend of global ideas fused with distinctly Australian undertones. From the opening abstract pop cover work of ‘Life’ by Franko to the colossal and earthly closing piece ‘Dichotomy of Consciousness’ by Dan Mason, the Art Collectors Book 2024 from Art Lovers Australia lives up to its name.
It is a real honour for Smith & Brooks to be included in this important publication and we really wanted to give a shout out to some of our favourites. It has been really hard to cut our list down so if you want a more comprehensive run down you really must have a look at the full edition from start to finish (it’s available online through Art Lovers Australia here). But for now, we are going to start the portrait and figurative works we are in love with. Amanda Cameron’s ‘Suspended Light’. The water, the figure, and her dedication to realism are just exquisite. And then Davide DiCenso’s ‘Figure with C# Minor’ – its powerful monochromatic form is incredible in its ability to draw you in. And the classical beauty resonating from Kim Rees’ ‘Fallen Woman’ is both fascinating and telling.
Moving into the landscape works we were very much enamoured with many works in particular Michael Wolfe’s ‘Leanganook I’ – its openness, brush and colour work was just so rhythmic and embracing. And Lucinda Leveille’s ‘Summer Storm’ displays such an intense understanding of the unique colour and light within the Australian landscape it just kept drawing us back. And we also couldn’t go past Jane Curle’s ‘Monkeys on Moonahs’. Its unexpected fusion of subject matter provides an imaginative alternative landscape that is so carefully constructed that you feel like you can just pass right through the surface of the work.
As we moved into still life works and the closer exploration of our natural world we were instantly captivated by Sigrid Patterson’s ‘Banksia in a Bottle’. This work is exceptional. The brilliance of the white dappled with the shadows of such a simple yet truly beautiful vessel and foliage is perfection. Then there is the mind-blowing technique displayed in Libby Dyer’s ‘Finding Oneself’. Her ability to apply such intricate abstraction to natural forms is just heavenly. We have decided to put ourselves into this category with our Smith & Brooks ‘Virid Form I’ work. This abstract landscape work is a natural bouquet of callistemon viridiflorus inspired by the colours of the new foliage growth and cradled in a ribbon of deep red as if just scooped up from the forest floor.
We cannot sign off on this blog post without finishing with one of our favourite genres, abstract. Where do we start? There are so many big hitters in this camp that we could make this post ten pages longer! But for now, we have included the works that we really just couldn’t go past. Sioux Tempest’s ‘That’s How it Starts’ is just divine. The colour palette, the balance, the brushwork – it provides an emotional landscape in which your mind can reset in the best possible way. Then there is Martin Breeze’s ‘Messiah’ which is lively, and invigorating and manages to create an energetic expanse that reaches well beyond the bounds of the surface. Ree Hodges’ ‘Things are Looking Up’ provides the viewer with a wonderful dreamscape of layered colour and brushwork that is both consuming and delightful. It’s easy to lose track of time as you immerse yourself in this soothing piece.
At some point, we knew this love letter to Art Lovers Australia Art Collectors Books 2024 would need to come to an end though so we really must wrap it up here. But we still need to shout out to some more artists if you’re still reading – Carita Farrer Spencer with ‘Queen Oasis’ is giving a nod to biophilic subject matter in the most gorgeous way as is Karen Chappelow with ‘Origin of the Species’. The intense work of Carol Zsolt’s ‘Inspiration 6301’ is simply astonishing. Finally Dagmar Maini’s ‘Our Thoughts’ is a work of textural and sculptural magnificence. If you need more please head to the Art Lovers Australia website and click the link to the digital Art Collectors Book 2024 so you can work your way through this extensive collection of Australia’s best contemporary artists both new and established for yourself. And be sure to check out our proud contribution with Smith & Brooks’ ‘Virid Form II’ exclusive to Art Lovers Australia in 2024.
