Skip to content

Closed: Opens 11am tomorrow

 Publications

65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art publication

Book cover with large text reading 65,000 YEARS in black, overlaid by the title A Short History of Australian Art and the editors names, Marcia Langton AO and Judith Ryan AM. Publisher Thames & Hudson at the bottom left.

65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art publication

Edited by Distinguished Associate Provost Professor Marcia Langton AO and Senior Curator Judith Ryan AM

Edited by Distinguished Associate Provost Professor Marcia Langton AO and Senior Curator Judith Ryan AM, this book is a scholarly work offering new insights into the first art of this country. Featuring writing by twenty-five leading thinkers across generations and disciplines, the publication celebrates Indigenous Australian art across time, media and language groups.

Published in association with a major exhibition at the University of Melbourne's revitalised Potter Museum of Art, opening in 2025. Also titled 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art, the exhibition features over 400 artworks that celebrate the longevity and brilliance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art despite a difficult history of colonialism and scientific racism.

Purchase

65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art publication
Abstract painting in pastel pink, blue, and white tones is on the left, with textured, layered brushstrokes forming organic shapes. On the right is a foreword text in black serif font on a white background.
A two-page magazine spread features an Aboriginal dot painting with earthy tones on the left, and text on the right titled 65,000 Years: a short history of Australian art by Marcia Langton.
A colorful painting shows a group of First Nations women of various ages gathered in a community hall, some sitting and others standing, with artworks and papers on tables. The image appears in a magazine spread titled Turn to the river by Coby Edgar.