Adi Granov, Iron Man study, fight with jets / concept art for Iron Man 2008. © 2017 MARVEL
Blockbusters are big business for Australia’s galleries; they have been since the 1980s and continue to drive visitor numbers today. But the smorgasbord of blockbusters on offer has changed dramatically during that time.
Between 2010 and 2015, a total of 63 blockbusters were staged across the country, with the most common style of buy-in show being Masterpiece extravaganzas. They accounted for 27% of blockbusters surveyed by ArtsHub, and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) showed more such exhibitions than any other institution, holding 41% within that category.
Read: Is our blockbuster diet stale: who’s choosing the menu?
It is not surprising, then, that the NGV is staging Van Gogh and the Seasons this winter – a no-brainer and sure winner when it comes to popular appeal.
But we have been seeing more blockbusters that rely less on the high art canon in recent years – fashion blockbusters have been hugely successful, as have exhibitions by contemporary “art stars” such as Ai Wei Wei and Grayson Perry – as well as pop culture cinema cross-overs, and shows that have edged in on the design field.
A classic example of the new blockbuster is the Gallery of Modern Art’s (GOMA) Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe, which opens this weekend in Brisbane.
ArtHub has put these two high cost, high impact exhibitions – Marvel versus Van Gogh – under the “popular” microscope to try to gauge what it is that Australian audiences are wanting today.
How does the artist hero stack up against the super hero?
Visitor with the clickable painting, 90 Self Portrait, Autumn 1887 Paris, by Vincent Van Gogh; Photo Wayne Taylor.
Battle of the Legends
When it comes to legends it is a tough call. The Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh is perhaps the artist most reproduced on tea towels and tote bags, his name recognisable well beyond art circles.
To add to his legend status, Van Gogh embodies the starving artist stereotype, never receiving recognition in his lifetime and committing suicide at 37 – and of course there’s that colourful account of a severed ear.
He may have only sold only one painting in his lifetime, but today Van Gogh’s paintings command among the very highest prices at auction. His Portrait du Docteur Gachet holds the record at $US75 million, sold in 1990.
On the flipside, Marvel Studios could be described as the home of legends – it has created characters such as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, The Fabulous Four, The Avengers, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, the X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy – characters that are burned into our comic brains as kids and give us hope that good will conquer evil.
Ryan Meinerding / Keyframe for Marvel’s The Avengers 2012 / © 2017 MARVEL
Curator of GOMA’s exhibition Amanda Slack-Smith told ArtsHub: ‘These characters are our modern mythology. In the 1950s we were all reading books and listening to the radio and today we get most of our stories from movies and television. This is the closest we fans will get to these mythological heroes.’
GOMA’s blockbuster includes more than 60 original Marvel Studios costumes, such as Chris Evans’ sweat-drenched Captain America costume, as well as multiple versions of Iron Man’s armour including the imposing three metre tall Hulkbuster. Props on show include the Eye of Agamotto from Doctor Strange, Thor’s hammer, and never-before-seen items from the set of the upcoming film Thor: Ragnarok, including the majestic Asgardian throne room.
Both exhibitions bring their legends to life, but attendance numbers will prove the real hero. Our guess is that the super hero always wins at the end of the day.
Coup without a Battle
The biggest battle won when it comes to the blockbuster is exclusivity. If you are the only venue, then people have to travel to you if they want to see the exhibition. While that means costs are not shared, the hope is that the extra ticket sales will make it a more attractive equation. It certainly is for state governments and tourism.
Both Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe and Van Gogh and the Seasons are exclusive to their venues.
NGV is presenting Van Gogh and the Seasons as part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series in partnership with Art Exhibitions Australia. Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said: ‘Van Gogh and the Seasons is a true coup for the National Gallery of Victoria, and an opportunity for our audience to experience the largest display of Van Gogh works ever seen in Australia, most which have never before travelled to this country.’
The praise had a similar ring to that of Chris Saines, Director of QAGOMA: ‘This exhibition will be the first major Marvel exhibition in Australia and the largest ever presented in an art museum worldwide.’
Another coup is the talent behind these exhibitions.
Van Gogh and the Seasons is curated by Sjraar van Heugten, former Head of Collections at the Van Gogh Museum, and its recent opening was attended by none-other than the famed artist’s great-grandnieces, Josien van Gogh and Sylvia Cramer.
Van Gogh’s great-grandnieces, Josien van Gogh and Sylvia Cramer. Photo: Wayne Taylor
While there was no rubbing of Lycra shoulders via cameo appearance from Iron Man or Captain American, GOMA Curator Amanda Slack-Smith did have the opportunity to visit Marvel Studios to develop the exhibition.
She told ArtsHub in an interview earlier this year: ‘I was lucky I got tapped on the shoulder. It’s my wheelhouse – I did my Masters in comics. I flew to LA, met the Marvel team and have been working on it in lightening speed since May last year.
‘There are 15 films we are looking in the exhibition, 14 released and then Ragnarok, which is not released until November – so we have this super sexy reveal. Marvel is very protective of its IP and leakages, but we have this moment.’
Kevin Feige, Producer, Marvel Studios, said: ‘Following the success of filming Thor: Ragnarok on the Gold Coast, we couldn’t think of a better setting to stage the largest Marvel exhibition ever.’
To adapt the real estate adage: location, location, location … is everything.
The battle of scale – Blockbusters demands to be big
Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe says it will deliver more than 60 original costumes worn by the actors Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Tilda Swinton. Plus it will include over 500 objects including comic books, props, spectacular set design, concept and keyframe art, clips and bespoke hands-on interactives.
While Van Gogh and the Seasons jives number-for-number with Marvel’s costumes, its highlights rest in nearly 50 vividly-coloured Van Gogh masterpieces, including key works lent by leading international museums such as the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, and the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
One of the key attractions of the “high art” or Masterpiece blockbusters is the rare moment to see a volume of work from any one artist at one time, or a collection from one of the world’s great museums. These are often once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and is the drawcard that usually brings visitors flocking through the turnstiles: the chance to see art’s great masterpieces in the flesh.
In this instance, Van Gogh has the advantage. While Marvel costumes, comics and concept drawings have a huge popular appeal, they do not offer the same rarity card as the ginger-bearded painter – but then many fans will disagree.
Slack-Smith said: ‘Each of the big four get their own gallery, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk. They are the most beloved, generally because they are the most flawed and tortured – heroes we can relate to.’
Merchandise is mandatory when it comes to blockbusters and NGV is not holding back with its Van Gogh exhibition. Photo: Tom Ross
Gimmick or extending the experience?
We have come to expect the exit through the gift shop of a blockbuster, but the sophistication of that bespoke merchandising, marketing and public programming continues to build into new engaged heights.
One of the most fantastic exits recently was upon leaving the National Gallery of Australia’s exhibition Versailles: Treasures from the Palace – perhaps even rivaling the exhibition itself. For Van Gogh and the Seasons, the NGV is also going all out.
‘The exhibition opens with a major film installation that is structured into four vignettes, one for each season, with each episode exploring an aspect of the life and work of Van Gogh and is narrated by much-loved cinephile David Stratton,’ explains the NGV.
‘The film features dialogue from Van Gogh’s letters read by award-winning actor David Wenham … (and) showcases imagery of Australian sites including Cruden Farm and Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm, as well as European sites significant to Van Gogh’s oeuvre, such as Arles in France and Zundert in Holland.’
And to add to the experience NGV is promoting a ‘how to video’ demonstrating how to create a flower arrangement inspired by a Van Gogh still life; plus of course the mandatory exit through the groaning gift shop.
Van Gogh and the Seasons – How to Create a Van Gogh Flower Arrangement with Flowers Vasette from NGV on Vimeo.
While not quite offering the opportunity to “suit up”, GOMA is offering interactive experiences throughout the exhibition that invite visitors to ‘delve even further into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’.
A retrospective of Marvel Cinematic Universe films will screen in the Gallery’s Australian Cinémathèque, including Iron Man (2008), The Avengers (2012), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Doctor Strange (2016) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017).
Extending the Marvel experience at GOMA; supplied
Battle of the price tag
Visiting Van Gogh and the Seasons will set you back $28 Adult / $24.50 Concession, with a children’s ticket $10 and a Family ticket (2 adults, 3 children) priced at $65.
Visiting the Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe exhibition costs more than seeing a Marvel movie on the silver screen. An Adult ticket is $25 / Concession $20, with a Child’s ticket for $10 and Family Price (2 adults + up to 3 children 5-12 years) at $60.
The Ancient One costume worn by Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange 2016 © 2017 MARVEL
Running the numbers – the real battle
Will a stroll through the seasons with one of the world’s most iconic painters, or a flotilla of comic heroes in Lycra and masks, stack up against the numbers achieved by other blockbusters to have captured the attention of Australian audiences?
Launching the Sydney International Art Series last year, NSW Deputy Premier, Troy Grant, said: ‘It’s a signature event on the NSW Events Calendar, attracting close to 1.3 million visitors to the Art Gallery and the MCA over the years.’
Those numbers remain clearly important, but one might argue that the delivery of the experience has also grown with the numbers, becoming more layered and with more on offer.
Earlier this year the National Gallery of Australia presented Versailles: Treasures from the Palace, which attracted 190,128 visitors, 70% of them from outside the ACT, as Director Gerard Vaughan confirmed.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia presented Tatsuo Miyajima, also just recently closed, which drew 80,252 visitors – around the same result achieved by Grayson Perry the year earlier but with an extra two weeks. And Sugar Spin: you, me, art and everything, which celebrated GOMAs 10th anniversary and also recently closed, secured 628,000 visitors, just breaking GOMAs recent success with its 8th Asia Pacific Triennial which clocked 604,904 visitors.
How will these two current blockbusters stack up – tradition vs popular culture? We look forward to the reporting the numbers.
Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe is showing from 27 May to 3 September at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane. Ticketed
Van Gogh and the Seasons is on display at NGV International in Melbourne, from 28 April to 9 July. It is part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Ticketed.
Blockbusters to look out for later this year:
- The Australian Centre of the Moving Image (ACMI) is presenting Wallace & Gromit and friends: The magic of Aardman, an exclusive as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces (29 June – 29 October).
- NGV International will present Masterworks from MoMA (8 June – 7 October)
- GOMA will present a survey of German artist Gerhard Richter (14 October – 4 February 2018)
- MCA in Sydney continues to push an international dialogue with Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist as its Sydney International Art Series blockbuster for 2017/18 (opens 1 November – 18 February 2018)
- AGNSW turns to Holland with Rembrandt and Dutch golden age: masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum (11 November – 18 February).
- Later in the year, NGV International will go predictable again with Hokusai (21 July – 15 October).
