James Gleeson experiments with collage

Mon 23 Sep 2024

James Gleeson (21 November 1915–2008) was one of Australia’s most recognised and celebrated Surrealists, particularly influenced by the works of Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, and Rene Magritte. He began his career in the 1930s, establishing himself as both a painter and a poet. By the mid-1970s, he found less time to paint due to his writing projects and responsibilities as an advisor to the National Gallery of Australia. With little time to make art, Gleeson began experimenting with collage.

With its strong connection to the European Dada and Surrealist art movements, the ‘Locus Solus’ series includes some of Gleeson’s most important collages (Jumpers 1978 illustrated). The series is inspired by Raymond Roussel’s 1914 Surrealist novel of the same name, in which an eccentric scientist guides visitors through his country estate, introducing them to his fantastical and disturbing inventions.

Jumpers (from the Locus Solus series) 1978

Delve deeper into the QAGOMA Collection

Emerson ‘It is the essence of poetry…’ 1976

J.G. ‘No wonder that change has so much power over us’ 1976

Games of the sun 1992