The Museum of Modern Art Australia (MOMAA), alternatively named the 'Museum of Modern Art of Australia,' or, according to McCulloch, the 'Museum of Modern Art and Design' (MOMAD), was founded by Australian art patron John Reed in 1958 in Tavistock Place, a lane-way off 376 Flinders Street, Melbourne, launched previously with a survey of Modernist Victorian women artists on 1 June 1956, organised by the Reeds who had taken on the then named Gallery of Contemporary Art. It held exhibitions of important contemporary Australian and international art of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Museum operated until 1966 and was formally dissolved in 1981.
Background In July 1938 John and Sunday Reed were active in the formation of the Contemporary Art Society (CAS) to promote modernist art in opposition to the prevalent conservatism of Australian art. Through the CAS John met Sidney Nolan, to whom the Reeds gave friendship and financial support, and from 1941, housing him until their estrangement in 1947 at their property, the former Bulleen dairy farm 'Heide' that they had purchased in 1934. Other artists in their circle were Albert Tucker and his wife Joy Hester, Arthur Boyd, John Perceval, Danila Vassilieff and the writer Michael Keon.
John abandoned his legal practice in 1943 and by the end of World War II he and Sunday had become the major supporters of modern art in Australia, supporting several artists with regular stipends. They revived the Melbourne branch of CAS and its Gallery of Contemporary Art early in the 1950s, and their association with artists and writers—the Heide Circle—expanded to include Charles Blackman, Barrett Reid, Gray Smith, Laurence Hope and Mirka Mora.
On 1 June 1956, after the Reeds had taken on the CAS and were transforming the space, their inaugural exhibition was opened by H. V. Evatt, Leader of the Federal Opposition whose wife, the artist and art patron, Mary (née Sheffer), had been an exhibitor in the first exhibitions organised by the Contemporary Art Society there in 1939. At the time of this opening she was a trustee of the New South Wales Gallery. The exhibition showcased Melbourne Woman Painters: with Joy Hester, Phyl Waterhouse, Lina Bryans, Guelda Pyke, Valerie Albiston, Ann Taylor, Dawn Sime, Dorothy Braund, Barbara Brash, Erica McGilchrist, Yvonne Cohen, Mirka Mora, Yvette Anderson, Christine Miller and Elena Kepalaite.
The show following was devoted to Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly series, previously exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art.
The Gallery In mid-1958 with the assistance of patrons Justice John Vincent Barry, Warwick Fairfax, Kym Bonython and Gerard Noall, and businessman, restaurateur, art dealer and close friend Georges Mora, and using mostly their own capital along with a fund-raising subscription drive,"The chairman of the council Mr Kurt Geiger hopes this year to attract 1,000 ordinary members who will pay three guineas each and 200 company members at 10 guineas each, ensuring an income of just over £ 5,000. A brochure launching the campaign was released on June 10, 1958. Patrons of the museum are Justice John Vincent Barry and Messrs Warwick Fairfax, Kim Bonython and Gerard Noall. Director is Mr John Reed." 'Australian Modern Art Museum plan,' The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday, 10 June 1958, p.6 the Reeds transformed the CAS gallery (where Mora's wife Mirka had exhibited in August the year before and in May 1958) into the 'Museum of Modern Art (and Design) of Australia' (MOMAA), modelled on MoMA in New York, with John as its director, and Phillip Jones his assistant.The Age, Wednesday, 9 July 1958, p.5 To commemorate the foundation of MOMAA, John Reed sent a Gray Smith painting to MoMA. Daughter of Myer Emporium director Sir Norman Myer, Pamela Warrender, whom Mora came to know through their visits to his Balzac Restaurant, a gathering-place for artists, became chair of the museum., p.151
The gallery was on the top floor of a three-storied bluestone former warehouse in Tavistock Place, Melbourne, on the eastern Flinders Street corner. In 1956 architect and artist Peter Burns had overseen renovations to make it an art gallery to a design by the Contemporary Artists Society Victoria secretary.Anthea Caroline Gunn (2010) Imitation Realism and Australian Art: thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University, February 2010 A wall of coloured Perspex panels arranged in a geometric design surrounded the entrance at one end of the main gallery space, a long rectangular room with dark grey matting on the floor and a ceiling of dark blue. The wall at the far end opposite the entrance and the bluestone side walls were painted white, the latter being covered in wire mesh which served as a hanging system, a material later also used as dividers. The space was lit by fluorescent strips and spotlights.
Works gifted to the museum by the Reeds' artist friends were shown in an inaugural exhibition. In 1962 the museum relocated to a vacant floor of the Ball & Welch department store at 180 Flinders Street.
The Museum vigorously promoted modern Australian artists; in August 1958 a Charles Blackman painting Dream was presented by council member Bernard Dowd to the Paris Musée National d'Art Moderne.'Australian painting for Paris,' The Age, Friday, 1 August 1958, p.11
Reception National Gallery of Victoria Director Eric Westbrook acknowledged that:
Exhibitions
163 works of art that the Reeds had collected themselves over 30 years, figurative, abstract, expressionist and realist, formed the basis of the Museum and was drawn upon for some of the exhibitions held there, many of which were landmark.Arnold Shore, 'Modern art in Australia: a Melbourne collection,' The Age, Sat, 4 October 1958 p.18 The Museum's architect Peter Burns showed in 1959. Albert Tucker exhibited there 18 October – 4 November 1960, and in 1961 held 'The Formative Years, 1940 – 1945' with Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan and John Perceval, at which important Tucker works, his Modern Evil, No. 2 (1943), Figure 6, Modern Evil, No. 6 (1944), Figure 7, Modern Evil, No. 27 (1946) and Modern Evil, No. 28, Figure 8 (1946), were displayed with other iconic works including The Futile City (1940). The Sydney Pop Art trio the 'Annandale Realists', Mike Brown, Colin Lanceley and Ross Crothall show of 13 February – 1 March 1962 was accompanied by a catalogue essay by Elwyn Lynn. While the trio were in the city Georges Mora commissioned from them a mural, the largest surviving example of the Australian Pop Movement, in his Balzac Restaurant, painted as individual panels in exchange for meals and accommodation.Anne Carter, 'Cleaning The Café Balzac mural' pp.13–14 in Insights and Intuition: Abstracts of contributions to the 10th AICCM Paintings Group Symposium 4–5 May 2006 Brisbane edited by Gillian Osmond. (2006) Canberra: The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM) Inc. Paintings Special Interest Group
Other exhibitions included:Partial list compiled by Warwick Reeder, Head of Regional Projects, National Gallery of Victoria, June 2004
1958, Modern Australian Art, A Melbourne collection of painting and drawings. 1958, Danila Vassilieff: exhibition of 94 paintings and 11 sculptural works 1958, May: Leonard FrenchArnold Shore, 'Naturalism - Symbolism,' The Age, Tuesday 13 May 1958, p.2 1958, 14 May: Gray Smith, opened by Vance Palmer. 1958, May–June: Mirka Mora 1958, 24 June – 4 July: Laurence Hope, Harry Raynor,Arnold Shore, 'Latest style and method,' The Age, Tuesday 24 June 1958, p.2 opened by Robert Helpmann.News of the Day; 'Fast work', The Age, Wednesday 25 June 1958, p.2 1958, 8–18 July: Henri BastinStuart Sayers, 'Artist,' The Age, Wednesday 9 July 1958, p.2 1958, 19–29 August: Ian Fairweather 1958, 2–12 September 1958: John Perceval Angels exhibition.Shepparton purchase 1958, 30 September to 10 October: Modern Australian art: a Melbourne collection of paintings and drawings 1959, 3 to 13 February: Exhibition of drawings by Margaret Olley, with Exhibition of paintings by Peter Upward 1959, March: John Perceval, drawings; David Moore Seven Years a Stranger, photographs 1959, 19 May – 5 June: Paintings from the Blake Prize 1959 1959, 30 June – 10 July: Exhibition of paintings: Peter Burns. 1959, 14–24 July: Henri Bastin 1959, 6–23 October: The paintings of Laurence Hope. 1960, 17 May – 10 June: William Dobell 1960, 29 March – 14 April Ten Sydney Painters: Ralph Balson, John Coburn, Thomas Gleghorn, Leonard Hessing, Margo Lewers, Elwyn Lynn, John Passmore, Stanilaus Rapotec, William Rose. 1960, 14 June – 1 July: Asher Bilu Paintings, Van Gogh Reproductions 1960, September: Sam Byrne, Gil JamiesonAlan McCulloch, ‘Judging art by craftsmanship,’ The Herald, Wednesday 21 September 1960 1960, 27 October – 13 November: Domestic architecture 1961, 11 April to 3 May: Picasso: series of ceramics from the Vallauris Potteries 1961, 7–24 March: Henry Salkauskas 1961, Laurence Hope: Antarctic Paintings 1961, Photovision 1961 by Group M 1961, September: Modern Sydney Domestic Architecture (curated with NSW Chapter of Australian Institute of Architects) 1961, 14 November – 5 December: Mirka Mora 1962, February: Annandale Imitation RealistsElwyn Lynn, 'Words, Words, Words?', Annandale Imitation Realism, exhibition catalogue, Melbourne: Museum of Modern Art of Australia, 1962 1962, 6–22 March: Antonio Furlan 1962, 27 March: Asher Bilu: Paintings Prints Scroll 1962, September–October: Max Lyle 1963, 25 February – 12 March: Survey show of paintings from galleries in all states, included artists Sam Atyeo, Ralph Balson, Arthur Boyd, Sam Byrne, Len Crawford, Arch Cuthbertson, Lawrence Daws, Ian Fairweather, Leonard French, James Gleeson, Thomas Gleghorn, Dennis Grafton, Jacqueline Hick, Frank Hodgkinson, Anton Holzner, Laurence Hope, Robert Hughes, Louis James, Peter Kaiser, Robert Juniper, Colin Lanceley, Donald Laycock, Elwyn Lynn, Dusan Marek, Erica McGilchrist, Brian McKay, Mervyn Moriarty, John Olsen, Desiderius Orban, William Peascod, Carl Plate, Emmanuel Raft, Charles Reddington, Robert Rooney, William Rose, Gareth Sansom, Dawn Sime, Eric Smith, Robin Wallace-Crabbe, Dick Watkins, Ken Whisson, Peter Upward. 1963: The young mind. Graeme Aitken, Vincent Basile, Graeme Blundell, Bernard Bragg, Robert Colvin, Peter Dickie, Russell Driver, Leslie Gilbert, Michael Goss, Michael Herron, Richard Havyatt, Robert Jacks, Peter Jacobs, Ian Jelbart, William Mitchell, Eve Martin, Jane Oehr, Paul Partos, John Robinson, Jeffrey Shaw, Terry Smith, Guy Stewart, Ron Upton, Les Kossatz. 1963, 9–24 April: Paintings from the West: 14 Western Australian painters, by arrangement with the Skinner Galleries, Perth, Western Australia. George Haynes, Roger Johnson, Arthur Russell, Ernest Philpot, Robert Juniper, Brian McKay, Geoffrey Allen, George Voudouris, John Murray Wilson, Romola Clifton, Kath Jarvis, Ferdinand Korwill, Howard Taylor, Irwin Crowe. 1963: Contemporary Italian paintings. Jointly organised by the Government of Italy and the Museum.Catalogue published: [Melbourne] : The Museum, [1963?] Description: p. : ill. : 16 x 28 cm. Notes: Cover title. "An exhibition of contemporary Italian painting organised by the Italian Government in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art and Design of Australia" 1963, 3–21 September: Joy Hester, commemorative exhibition of her drawings. 1963, 8–31 October: Paintings from the Kym Bonython Collection of modern Australian art.Catalogue published: Melbourne : Museum of Modern Art and Design of Australia, Description: p. : ill., port.; 20 x 26 cm. Notes: Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art and Design of Australia.