Adelaide art lovers are in for a double treat - with The Art Gallery of South Australia celebrating the power of portraiture with two exhibitions.
Exhibitions celebrating the work of Robert Wilson and the 100-year history of the Archibald Prize will run from July 9 to October 3 and the gallery is offering a single ticket to see both collections.
Robert Wilson: Moving Portraits presents an anthology of video portraits by the acclaimed theatre director.
The 80-year-old New York artist is one of the world's most influential directors of experimental theatre.
The exhibition features more than 20 slow-moving high definition video portraits.
It includes portraits of acclaimed contemporary artists such as Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt, Isabella Rossellini, Robert Downey Jr and Winona Ryder, alongside artists, writers and animals.
The almost imperceptibly slow movement of each portrait blurs the lines between cinematography and still photography.
Several of the video portraits refer to pivotal moments in art history, such as the portrait of Lady Gaga - a recreation of Mademoiselle Caroline Riviere from Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres's famous 1806 painting.
Robert Wilson said the portraits served as "personal, poetic statements of different personalities".
"Some of the subjects we have made portraits of - Brad Pitt, Sean Penn - are more themselves; perhaps with the addition of associations I have with them," he said.
"With others there are biographical elements. Jeanne Moreau was interested in a theatre project on Mary Queen of Scots for instance.
"The face of Isabelle Huppert, on the other hand, always reminded me of Greta Garbo. And sometimes, as in the portrait of Princess Caroline it was interesting to shoot her in a pose her mother Grace Kelly strikes in Hitchcock's Rear Window."
Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize features a diverse collection of portraits from the prestigious competition's 100-year history.
Artworks are arranged thematically, reflecting changes to approaches to portraiture and the nation as a whole over time.
The exhibition includes works by some of Australia's best artists including William Dobell, Wendy Sharpe, Ben Quilty, Brett Whiteley and Del Kathryn Barton.
Gallery director Rhana Devenport said the gallery was excited to present both exhibitions.
"We are thrilled to present Archie 100, offering local audiences their first opportunity ever to experience an exhibition of Archibald Prize portraits here in South Australia," Rhana said.
"Visitors will witness the beauty and allure of portraiture in its many forms in this double header offering."
The gallery is located at North Terrace, Adelaide and is open from 10am-5pm daily.
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