How to… Appreciate the Curation of an Art Exhibition with Rodney James

Rodney James is an art consultant, valuer, curator, and author with extensive expertise in 19^th and 20^th-century Australian art. Through his research, Rodney has illuminated the vital part that art critics play in shaping the understanding of Australian art and its artists. James is currently curating a major exhibition for the Gippsland Art Gallery on the pervasive 19^th and 20^th century fascination with ferns – called Pteridomania.  Pteridomania (Petribo, Latin for ferns) was a Victorian craze that saw the rise of an obsession with ferns, from collecting and foraging the live plants, to depictions across fine art and decorative motifs in the home.

What inspired you to curate an exhibition centred around the historical fascination with ferns in art and design from the 19^th and 20^th centuries?

There is a painting in the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) by Scottish academic Robert Herdman entitled A fern gatherer – West Highlands (1864). It is a prime example of Victorian-era sentiment and the fascination with all things fern-related. Having been purchased by the Commissioners of Fine Arts for Victoria, Australia, in the same year that it was made, works such as this got me thinking about the nature and spread of pteridomania and how this phenomenon manifest in places like Australia and New Zealand. A few years back, I also noticed that many contemporary artists were focusing on ferns as subjects for their work and thus set about trying to understand and reveal the relationship (and gaps) between then and now. 

Gippsland Art Gallery was the logical choice given its location and proximity to old growth rainforests, as well as its innovative exhibition program that combines historical and contemporary manifestations of the natural world.

Can you elaborate on the process of collaborating with institutions like the NGV and the Powerhouse Museum. 

The NGV and the Powerhouse Museum hold incomparable collections, including intriguing fern related material and ranging from paintings, drawings, photographs, and prints through to silverware, furniture, fashion, jewellery and ceramics. In order for Fernmania to reach its full potential we needed to be able to access these collections more fully, so we (myself and Gippsland Art Gallery staff) approached each institution for permission to collaborate more closely with the curators and exhibition managers. 

Through the encouragement of Director Tony Ellwood AM, the NGV is working with Gippsland Art Gallery to present this major partnership exhibition. Currently we are looking at borrowing around 40-50 pieces, providing a strong backbone to the exhibition, and including their star pieces as well as the lesser-known gems. This sort of partnership is something that the NGV is doing more and more of – increasing access to the state collection – seen recently with the Baroque exhibition at Hamilton Gallery (2023-24) and in 2025, supporting Gippsland Art Gallery as a major lender to present its landmark exhibition Turner & Australia.  

How did you approach the task of integrating contemporary commissioned works with historical pieces to create a cohesive narrative for the audience?

The exhibition is divided into two separate components, beginning with Fernmania, which concentrates on the 19^th through to the late 20^th  centuries, allowing an in-depth look at how fern-derived subjects and motifs evolve and undergo subtle shifts and permutations. The second component, Lush, is a complementary exhibition that includes major recent or newly commissioned works by 10 or so contemporary artists including William Robinson, Rosemary Laing, Mary Tonkin, and Danie Mellor. The idea is to focus on the feeling of being immersed in a rainforest, surrounded by large single works or clusters of smaller ones, with the scene set as you enter the main gallery space. 

By interspersing select contemporary works with the 19^th and 20^th century component, we also hope to provide a visual and thematic continuity between old and new and set up interesting questions and dialogues.

What were some of the challenges or unexpected discoveries in curating such a large, multifaceted show that involves private collectors and institutional loans?

Its still a work in progress, so wonderful things are turning up each week! I was surprised to learn that there is an Australiana collection administered on behalf of the Australian Government that includes incredible things such as decorated emu eggs and silverware with fern motifs. There is the challenge of fitting such a treasure trove of items into the space, and the need to be selective and choose specific stories or objects to talk about in-depth. In particular, Australia’s participation in the 1862 Intercolonial Exhibition is such an important story to share, headlined by the inclusion of a major painting by Eugene von Guerard. This is the time when fern motifs first became conspicuous, maintaining popularity until the 1930s and beyond. 

The role of auction houses, including Leonard Joel, in identifying key works in private collections is significant. Then we just have to convince the collectors to part with their most prized possessions for a three-month period – thankfully, I am always amazed by the generosity of custodians and their willingness to share for the edification and enjoyment of others! 

How do you hope the exhibition will resonate with your audiences?

We are expecting a truly diverse audience, from plant lovers through to die-hard art afficionados. My hope is that the exhibition is informative, enjoyable and challenging – a chance to see older favourite works in new contexts and to encounter a range of nationally and internationally recognised artists, all concerned in some way with the environment and the preservation of our shared histories and ecology.  

Visit ‘Fernmania // Lush’ at Gippsland Art Gallery from 6 June – 23 August 2026. Special exhibition/accommodation packages will be available closer to the time.
Rodney James’ book ‘Letters to a Critic: Alan McCulloch’s World of Art’, Miegunyah Press, 2023, is available directly through the bookstore on Rodney’s website: rodneyjamesart.com.au
Type Letters50 into the discount code to receive $10 off the RRP.

Top Image: Robert Herdman, A fern gatherer – West Highlands (1864) oil on canvas, 70.2 x 60.0 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased by the Commissioners of Fine Arts for Victoria, 1864.

November 2024