Skip to content

Closed: Reopening 10 July 2026

 Publications

65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art

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

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.