19 May 2004
Celebrated Australian cartoonist Bruce Petty visits Canberra this Friday, 21 May for the launch of the National Museum of Australia's popular annual political cartooning exhibition, Behind the Lines.
The free exhibition includes more than 100 works by Australia's best political cartoonists and a collection of sculptures from John Shakespeare and David Rowe capturing Australia's significant politicians and media players.
One of the models from Petty's ABC TV Human Contraptions animations is also on show.
Behind the Lines is being officially launched by ACT Senator Gary Humphries, who will talk about the role of political cartooning in a year dominated by leadership struggles and the elusive search for weapons of mass destruction.
WHAT: Behind the Lines launch with Senator Gary Humphries and cartoonist Bruce Petty
WHEN: 11.15am, Friday, 21 May 2004
WHERE: Hall, National Museum, Acton Peninsula
Behind the Lines features 105 of the best entries in the National Museum's 2003 Australian Political Humour Competition. Sixty artists are represented, with works from Bill Leak, Cathy Wilcox, Peter Nicholson, Geoff Pryor, Judy Horacek, Sean Leahy and Mark Knight.
For the first time in its history, the popular National Museum exhibition made its debut outside Canberra, opening in Brisbane and travelling to RMIT Gallery for the Melbourne Comedy Festival.
Behind the Lines is on show in the National Museum's Temporary Gallery from 21 May 27 June. Entry is free. The exhibition then travels to the Constitutional Centre of Western Australia in Perth from 9 July 31 August, and the Library and Office of the Legislative Assembly in Darwin from 10 September 14 October.
For interviews, images or more information please contact Public Affairs Director Martin Portus on 02 6208 5351, 0409 916 481 or m.portus@nma.gov.au