NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA PRESENTS EXHIBITION OF RON MUECK'S WORKS

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE, PRESENTS A MAJOR EXHIBITION OF THE WORK OF INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED SCULPTOR RON MUECK. KNOWN FOR HIS EXTRAORDINARY LIFE-LIKE CREATIONS, THE EXHIBITION FEATURES TWELVE SCULPTURES BY MUECK INCLUDING FOUR NEW WORKS. THIS IS THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE MUECK EXHIBITION EVER TO BE HELD IN AUSTRALIA. DAVID HURLSTON, CURATOR AUSTRALIAN ART, SAID RON MUECK'S POIGNANT SCULPTURES ILLUSTRATE TIMELESS HUMAN CONDITIONS FROM BIRTH TO DEMISE. THE EXHIBITION DRAWS FROM AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL COLLECTIONS, HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 'MASK II 2001/02', 'MAN IN A BOAT, 'OLD WOMAN IN BED', 'WILD MAN', 'TWO WOMEN', 'IN BED', AND THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR FROM THE UNITED STATES, THE ICONIC WORK 'DEAD DAY'. IN ADDITION TO THESE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF NEW WORKS CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE EXHIBITION WHICH WERE UNVEILED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MELBOURNE.
IN HIS EARLY CAREER MELBOURNE-BORN MUECK WORKED AS A PUPPET MAKER, HOWEVER SINCE 1997 HE HAS BEEN ENTIRELY DEVOTED TO MAKING SCULPTURE. IN 1996, HE WAS 'DISCOVERED' BY THE BRITISH ADVERTISING GURU CHARLES SAATCHI, WHO INCLUDING MUECK'S 'DEAD DAD' AS PART OF THE HISTORY MAKING SENSATION EXHIBITION THE FOLLOWING YEAR. MUECK WENT ON TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA AT THE 2001 VENICE BIENNALE, CAPTURING WORLDWIDE ATTENTION FOR HIS 4.5 METER SCULPTURE, 'CROUCHING BOY'. SINCE THEN, HE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FIGURES IN THE CONTEMPORARY ART WORLD.