From the Homefront: Robert Rooney Works 1953-1988

About the exhibition
Robert Rooney’s distinctive fusion of abstraction, Pop art and Conceptual art cemented his reputation as a significant figure in Australian art. This mid-career survey of the Melbourne artist and art critic featured over 150 works, comprehensively tracing his practice from the early post-student days through to his recent return to painting.

Showcasing Rooney’s often whimsical approach to motifs borrowed from mass media alongside his use of chance variations and improvisation, the exhibition included paintings from the 1960s and the 1980s as well as serial photographic works and portraits from the 1970s—a period during which Rooney adopted the Kodak Instamatic camera as a ‘dumb recording device’.  Also featured was a 1956 portrait of Rooney by Charles Blackman and a selection of silent Super 8 films created by the artist between 1973 and 1982.

Acknowledgements
This exhibition was supported by the Visual Arts/Craft Board of the Australia Council.

MUMA Online Exhibition Archive
MUMA’s online archive is expanding. We welcome your feedback and input. Please contact muma.communications@monash.edu with any information that could help enrich the archive for future audiences.

^{Image: Robert Rooney, Superknit 1 1969, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 134 x 245 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased 1981}