Christine Abrahams Gallery, first named Axiom, was a Melbourne gallery showing contemporary Australian art between 1980 and 2008.

Foundation

Christine Abrahams (5 March 1939 – 15 September 1994) graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Melbourne University in 1961 majoring in Fine Art. She was a guide at the National Gallery of Victoria for several years, then assisted

Patrick McCaughey Patrick McCaughey (born 1942) is an Irish-born Australian art historian and academic. McCaughey was born in Belfast, his father being Davis McCaughey. He migrated with his family to Melbourne, Australia. when he was ten years old. His secondary ...

with research at 'Monash University, and was a gallery director and major supporter of contemporary Australian art in Melbourne from the 1970s, after her marriage to husband Daryl (born 1935), with whom she had three sons Guy, Damian and Ari. Artist

Lenton Parr Thomas Lenton Parr AM (11 September 1924 – 8 August 2003) was an Australian sculptor and teacher . Sculptor Born in East Coburg, Victoria, Lenton Parr spent eight years in the Royal Australian Air Force (Svc No. A33223) before enrolling to st ...

said of Christine that she valued art "as a gift to the spirit and a source of pleasure and enlightenment," while then director of the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

Betty Churcher Elizabeth Ann Dewar Churcher (''née'' Cameron; 11 January 193131 March 2015) was an Australian arts administrator, best known as director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. She was also a painter in her own right e ...

valued her generosity and enthusiasm, saying she "provided Melbourne with a space and an intellectual climate for some of the most interesting contemporary art from both Australia and overseas." Abrahams was Manager of Powell Street Gallery between 1976 and 1980 (the lessees were Melbourne solicitor Harry Curtis and a Caulfield doctor, David Rosenthal).

Axiom

Until 1982, Abrahams was co-director of Axiom Gallery, established in March 1980 at the address of the future Christine Abrahams Gallery, 27 Gipps Street

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

, an inner, once-industrial, suburb of Melbourne. In the same precinct an increasing number of other commercial galleries, including the long-running

Pinacotheca A pinacotheca (Latin borrowing from grc, πινακοθήκη, pinakothēkē = grc, πίναξ, pinax, (painted) board, tablet, label=none + grc, θήκη, thēkē, box, chest, label=none) was a picture gallery in either ancient Greece or anc ...

Niagara Galleries Niagara Galleries shows contemporary and Modernist Australian art in Richmond, an inner suburb of Melbourne, from a terrace which has been substantially remodelled in a postmodern style. History The gallery was established by Kyneton High Sch ...

, Stuart Gerstman, and Church Street Centre for Photography appeared. Of Axiom, critic and artist Robert Rooney remarked; Axiom's opening show consisted of large abstract paintings by Sydney Ball, Fred Cress, John Walker and John Firth-Smith, selling at between $700 to $9500, and was followed by a solo of works by photographer

David Moore David Moore may refer to: Politics * David E. Moore (1798-1875), American politician in Virginia * David Moore (Australian politician) (1824–1898), politician in Sandridge, Victoria, Australia * David Moore (Manx politician), member of the H ...

. By 1982, when the gallery was renamed, Abrahams in an interview proudly detailed its record in supporting women artists;

Axiom exhibitions;

* 1980, July: Barbara Zerbini * 1980, July/Aug: Victor Majzner * 1980, September: Helen Geier * 1980, December: Group exhibition: Lesley Dumbrell,

Roger Kemp Francis Roderick Kemp AO, OBE, (Eaglehawk, 3 July 1908 - Melbourne 14 September 1987), known as Roger, was one of Australia's foremost practitioners of transcendental abstraction. Kemp developed a system of symbols and motifs which were deployed ...

, Sandra Leveson, Victor Majzner, Fred Williams and photographs by

and

Max Dupain Maxwell Spencer Dupain AC OBE (22 April 191127 July 1992) was an Australian modernist photographer. Early life Dupain received his first camera as a gift in 1924, spurring his interest in photography. He later joined the Photographic Society o ...

*1981, February, 7-20: Polly Courtin (painting), Tim Bass (drawing), Nanette Carter (photographs), Tom Psomatragos (photographs) * 1981, June: Michaela Brysha ''Hair Curler Series'' *1981, July: Hector Gilliland drawings,

Harold Cazneaux Harold Pierce Cazneaux (30 March 1878 – 19 June 1953) was an Australian pictorialist photographer; a pioneer whose style had an indelible impact on the development of Australian photographic history. In 1916, he was a founding member of the ...

photographs *1981, July-18 August: John Walker * 1981, August: ''The Figure in Drawing and Painting'':

John Brack John Brack (10 May 1920 – 11 February 1999) was an Australian painter, and a member of the Antipodeans group. According to one critic, Brack's early works captured the idiosyncrasies of their time "more powerfully and succinctly than any Aust ...

William Frater William Frater (1890–1974) was a Scottish-born Australian stained-glass designer and modernist painter who challenged conservative tastes in Australian art. Early life and education Scotland William Frater was born on 31 January 1890 a ...

, Gil Jamieson,

Jon Molvig Helge Jon Molvig (27 May 1923 – 15 May 1970) was an Australian expressionist artist, considered a major developer of 20th-century Australian expressionism, even though his career 'only' lasted 20 years. He was born in the Newcastle, New South ...

, Merv Moriarty, Peter Powditch, Tony Underhill. Works on Paper, Jeremy Barrett * 1981, September: ''Three American Painters'': Alan Cote, Ray Parker,

Harvey Quaytman Harvey Quaytman (April 20, 1937 - April 8, 2002) was a geometric abstraction painter best known for large modernist canvases with powerful monochromatic tones, in layered compositions, often with hard edges - inspired by Malevich and Mondrian. ...

* 1981, September-22 October: Fred Cress * 1981, November:

* 1981, to 12 November: Pamela Wragg * 1981, to 11 December: Adrian Kerfoot * 1982, 13 February – 3 March: Simon Blau, Peter Brooks, David Hawkes, Peter Jones, Barbara Neil, Susan Norrie, with Julie Patey charcoal drawings.Robert Rooney, 'Six young moderns from Sydney,' in ''The Age'', Wednesday, 24 February 1982, p.10 * 1982, to 25 March: Robert Owen * 1982, to 22 April: Victor Majzner * 1982, to 25 June:

Enzo Cucchi Enzo Cucchi (born 14 November 1949) is an Italian painter. A native of Morro d'Alba, province of Ancona, he was a key member of the Italian Transavanguardia movement, along with his countrymen Francesco Clemente, Mimmo Paladino, Nicola De Maria, ...

Mimmo Paladino Mimmo Paladino (born Paduli, 18 December 1948) is an Italian sculptor, painter and printmaker. He is a leading name in the Transvanguardia artistic movement and one of the many European artists to revive Expressionism in the 1980s. Biography ...

Francesco Clemente Francesco Clemente (born 23 March 1952) is an Italian contemporary artist. He has lived at various times in Italy, India and New York City. Some of his work is influenced by the traditional art and culture of India. He has worked in various art ...

Nicola de Maria Nicola De Maria (born 6 December 1954 in Foglianise, Italy) is an Italian painter living and working in Torino, Italy. De Maria is known for his abstract figurative works, which have been characterized as lyrical and colourful. Biography De Maria ...

Sandro Chia Sandro Chia (born 20 April 1946) is an Italian painter and sculptor. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he was, with Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Nicola De Maria, and Mimmo Paladino, a principal member of the Italian Neo-Expressionist movemen ...

* 1982, 26 June – 15 July: Marion Borgelt paintings, Tony Woods, drawings * 1982, to 9 December: Lesley Dumbrell paintings and watercolours, Sue Ford ''Photo Book Of Women: 1961- 1982,'' traveling show from the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

* 1982, to end December: ceramic sculptures by James Draper, and ''One Year Hence'', jewellery by former students of

RMIT RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

and their lecturer, Robert BainesSusan McCulloch, 'Axiom makes mark', The Age Tuesday 30 Nov 1982, p.21 In summing up the year 1980, critic Brigid Cole-Adams described Axiom as a "good more conventional gallery with interesting contemporary work including both abstract and new realist styles."

Renamed Christine Abrahams Gallery

In December 1982 Axiom gallery closed, and with Abrahams as director, was eponymously renamed the 'Christine Abrahams Gallery', reopening on 12 February 1983.Memory Holloway, ''The Age '' Wednesday 9 Feb 1983, p.14 It showed a broad spectrum of visual arts by contemporary, including photography, by architects, and craftspeople and indigenous artists, including jewellers, ceramicists and furniture makers. Stuart Gerstman Gallery opened next door at number 29 in April 1983.The Age Tuesday 22 Mar 1983, p.27 In 1987 Christine's son Guy Abrahams joined her as co-director of the gallery. The building had been converted in 1980 from a clothing factory by the architect of Abrahams' own 1982 Brighton residence,

Daryl Jackson Daryl Sanders Jackson AO (born 7 February 1937) is an Australian architect and the owner of an international architecture firm, Jackson Architecture. Jackson also became the associate professor of the University of Melbourne and Deakin Univers ...

, who designed Abrahams own house in

Beaumaris Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from ...

, preserved the industrial aesthetic of exposed trusses, bare concrete floors and steel roller-door. Jackson himself exhibited at the gallery in April 1984, showing drawings and models for a 'more humane' neo-industrial style. Critic Robert Rooney described the renovation as "spacious and well-planned, and an ideal setting for...large paintings." The configuration of the gallery with a smaller space to the left of the main gallery allowed for shows of smaller 'works on paper' (usually drawings, photographs, or prints) simultaneously with shows usually of larger paintings or sculpture. The gallery was recommended in 1994 as a favourite by Susan Fereday, then director of the

Centre for Contemporary Photography The Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP), in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, is a venue for the exhibition of contemporary photo-based arts, providing a context for the enjoyment, education, understanding and appraisal of contemporary practic ...

and Merryn Gates director of the

Ian Potter Museum of Art The Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia was established in 1972. It houses the art collection of the University of Melbourne. Current director, Kelly Gellatly, was appointed in 2013. It is not to be con ...

, University of Melbourne.

Exhibitions under the name 'Christine Abrahams Gallery'

* 1983, February: Eight artists, including Ann Weir and Daniel Kogan * 1983, to 24 March:

Fiona Orr Fiona is a feminine given name. The name is associated with the Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland (through the poetry of James Macpherson), but has also become popular in England.. It can be considered either a Latinised form of the Gael ...

, sculpture (main gallery) and Wendy Stavrianos prints (side gallery) * 1983, to 15 April: Genny Haasz, drawings and

monoprints Monoprinting is a type of printmaking where the intent is to make unique prints, that may explore an image serially. Other methods of printmaking create editioned multiples, the monoprint is editioned as 1 of 1. There are many techniques of mono-pr ...

. * 1983, 20 April to 12 May: Stephen Spurrier paintings, and ''Sandringham Series'' by Craig Gough * 1983, to 2 June: Ann Thomson, collages and painting * 1983, to 6 July: Fred Cress, paintings and Marcus Shanahan, sculpture * 1983, to 4 August: Sydney Ball paintings and drawings * 1983, to 15 October: Loretta Quinn sculpture, Adrian Kerfoot painting * 1983, to 26 October: Judy Silver, ''Paperworks and Constructions'' * 1983, to 17 November: Elizabeth Gower paintings, and John Firth-Smith

lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

* 1983, 22 November to 8 December: Clive Murray-White, John Ballany and

Terry Setch Terry Setch (born 1936) is a painter and Royal Academy, Royal Academy (RA) member who lives in Penarth, Wales. Education and career Setch attended Saturday classes at Sutton and Cheam School of Art, followed by a degree course at the Slade Sch ...

* 1983, to 24 December: Furniture by Dael Evans, Jane Joyce, Roger Wood and Randall Marsh * 1984, to 12 April:

, architectural drawings and

John Gollings John Gollings AM (born 1944), is an Australians, Australian Architectural photography, architectural photographer working in the Asia Pacific region. Early life and education John Gollings was born in Melbourne and made his first photographs us ...

photographs of Jackson's architecture * 1984, to 31 May: Akio Makigawa sculpture and Carlier Makigawa small jewellery/sculpture works * 1984, 5 June to 25 June: Marion Borgelt paintings, Tom Fantl ''The Prague Suite'' * 1984, from 14 July:

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

, etchings * 1984, to 30 August: Victor Majzner, Daniel Kogan * 1984, 5 September to 5 October: Bulun Bulun, bark paintings * 1984, to 1 November: Lesley Dumbrell, paintings * 1984, to 22 November: ''New Sculptors, New Sculpture'', Loretta Quinn,

Bruce Armstrong Bruce Charles Armstrong (born September 7, 1965) is an American former football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 2000, playing all 14 seasons with the New England Patriots. He was draf ...

, Peter D. Cole, Ray Woolard, Lyn Plummer, Fiona Orr,

, Clive Murray-White, Hilary Mais * 1984, to 20 December: ''Self-serve. Supermarket Style Fashion'' Fashion Design Council of Australia exhibition/sale of fashion''The Age'' Tuesday 11 Dec 1984, p.14 * 1984, to 27 December: ''Works on Paper'' group show * 1985, February:

Grant Mudford Grant Mudford (born 1944 in Sydney), is an Australian photographer. Life and work From 1963 to 1964 he studied architecture at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. From 1965 to 1974, he established a commercial photography studio in S ...

, photography * 1985, March: prints by Barbie Kjar, paintings by Denise Green * 1985, May: Helen Geier, paintings * 1988, 26 September – 13 October: Mark Strizic, ''Melbourne 1954 – 1964'' * 1989, May: ''Wild Beast'', Michael Kemp; paintings by Helena Kazepis * 1988, to 3 November: Maria Kuczynska, sculpture *1994 24 February: ''Italian Journey'' by Alexandra Copeland; David McLeod, paintings *1994 to 24 March: Sculpture by Antonio Colangelo, and Maria Kuczynska *1994, to 21 April: Fred Cress *1994, 25 April–19 May: Paintings and etchings by Voula Therios; Recent work by

Stephen Birch Stephen Birch (1873–1950) was the President of the Kennecott Copper Company. Early life Birch was born in New York City on March 24, 1873. He was the second son out of six children. His father was a Union Army sergeant who died when Steph ...

* 1994, to 16 June: ''Grass fibre weavings from Ramingining''Jenny Zimmer, 'A new opportunity to ponder aboriginal art,' ''The Age'', Tuesday 24 May 1994, p.20 and ''Back to the Future'', photographs by

Jeff Carter Jeffrey J. Carter (born January 1, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Los Angeles Kings ...

*1994, to 14 July: paintings by Mandy Martin; ''Scenes of the Passion'', photographs by Maria Grande * 1994, 16 July–11 August: prints by Barbie Kjar, paintings by Denise Green *1994, 15 August – 8 September: Paintings and works on paper by Aida Tomescu *1994, 15 September–6 October: Michael Johnson *1994, October: ''Travelling East: photographs of Asia'' by Richard l'anson *1994, November: Fiona Murphy, ceramics *1994, 5–23 December: ''Second Hand,'' works by Miyuki Nakahara; Wall mounted works in glass by Warren Langley * 1995, 14–31 August: ''Melbourne in the '60s – an exhibition of photographs by Mark Strizic'' * 1997, to 20 March: Marion Borgelt * 2000, to October 12: Mandy Martin, ''Salvator Rosa Series III''

Closure

After Christine's premature death at age 55 from cancer on 15 September 1994, the gallery was operated by her son Guy Abrahams, who had been co-director since 1987. The gallery was closed after 28 years in November 2008. The Gallery archive was donated to the State Library of Victoria.

Influence

Christine initiated the influential Australian Contemporary Art Fair (now

Melbourne Art Fair The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, colloquially referred to as "Jeff's Shed," is a group of three adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The venues are ow ...

) and was a member of its organising committee in 1988, 1990 and 1992. She was on the board of the Fifth Australian Sculpture Triennial (1993) and was a member of the Visual Art Export Group of the

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

and the Craft Council of Victoria.

References

{{coord, -37.823541, 144.996092, display=title Art museums and galleries in Melbourne Art galleries established in 1983 1983 establishments in Australia