Welcome to first issue of volume 18 of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art. The Journal aims to publish scholarly work generated by, and of interest to art historians in Australia, New Zealand and worldwide, and reflects the diversity and depth of art-historical practice in the region. In this open issue, our writers tackle a wide range of material and themes of both specific relevance to our region and with global resonance.
This issue contains eight essays on diverse art historical research areas, from Indigenous art, modern and decorative art to contemporary art. The essays are both local and international in flavour and tackle often difficult areas of inquiry such as Indigenous modernism, cultural transformation and French theory, as well as conflict and war artists, the central role humour plays in art, 1960s British art, and the material culture of Japonisme in French ceramics. The debates continue in the reviews section that offers considerations of research through publication and exhibition. Indeed, the scope of the essays and reviews offers an insight into the rigorous art historical, design and art practice research culture in Australia and New Zealand. The editors have come together from two Sydney-based institutions to work on this open issue; the process has been both a pleasure and an honour.