Art Collector – July-September 2026
Summary
Loribelle Spirovski's Lux Aeterna, oil on linen at 152 x 122 cm, fronts the AUD 26.95 July-September 2026 Issue 117 of Art Collector — the Under 5K Issue — promising that every artwork featured in the 224-page quarterly can be acquired for under AUD 5,000, with John Nixon's posthumous Collector's Dossier by Sue Cramer (page 124), Zoe Young's director's-eye storytelling (page 136), Hendrik Kolenberg's belated emergence as an artist (page 142), and Sam Gold's pinch-pot meditation on surrender (page 148) leading the artist features.
The Under 5K section (page 89) presents multiple artists whose works fall below the AUD 5,000 threshold, including practical collecting guidance for first-time buyers. John Nixon's Collector's Dossier (page 124) by Sue Cramer profiles "one of the most generous figures of his generation" through voices of those who knew him. Zoe Young's Drawn from Life (page 136) by Courtney Kidd reveals how the artist uses a director's eye to construct narrative-rich intimate dramas in paint. Hendrik Kolenberg's Glimpses of the Marvellous (page 142) by John McDonald traces his shift from幕后 curator to working artist after twenty-plus years behind the scenes. Sam Gold's Give Everything to the Sea (page 148) by Althea Kuzman examines how the Tarntanya/Adelaide-based ceramicist turns pinching into a meditation on surrender. Kathy Temin's Soft Monuments (page 154) by Eve Sullivan covers her return to Surry Hills for her Ames Yavuz debut. Ngaroma Riley's Time on the Tools (page 158) by Emil McAvoy documents her reshaping of wahine Maori carving. Adam John Cullen's Personal Archeology (page 162) by Nikita Holcombe presents his studio detritus-turned-sculpture practice. J Davies's Going off-Script (page 170) by Lara Chapman reconstructs trans and queer life through film photography. Katy Woodroffe's eightieth-birthday survey (page 174) by Courtney Kidd covers a career shaped by Tasmanian colonial history. Hilary Finch's All Night Beneath The Ruins (page 178) by Robert Buratti explores time and printmaking.
Regular features include Upfront with previews (page 61), Artworld Analysis on LACMA's David Geffen Galleries and AI tools reshaping collection research (page 72), Acts of Grace by Maurice O'Riordan on Facing Modernity at SAM (page 78), On the Couch with Michael Dagostino (page 80), And the Winner Was awards roundup (page 82), Art Fair Report (page 84), Exhibition listings (page 190), Collecting section with Bett Gallery profile (page 202), Collecting on Country by Carey Lyon and Jo Crosby (page 208), Maningrida Arts & Culture day-in-the-life (page 214), Hyde Hotel art travel feature (page 218), Seen Heard Read books and podcasts (page 222), and ARI for your Diary (page 224).
Editor's Take
The Under 5K framing is the smartest editorial hook Art Collector has used in years — it solves the problem of the intimidating art-market price barrier in one clean gesture. The strongest features are John McDonald on Hendrik Kolenberg and Emil McAvoy on Ngaroma Riley, both of which bring genuinely fresh perspectives to figures who have been under-covered. The weakest section is the Artworld Analysis, which tries to cover LACMA galleries, Barnes Foundation comparisons and AI tools in a single 6-page spread — none of the three topics gets enough space. The exhibition listings section runs 12 pages but lacks curatorial selection: it is a directory, not an edit. This issue is for the first-time and mid-level collector who needs practical price-anchored entry points, not for the institutional buyer.
Strengths
• Under 5K price anchor makes contemporary collecting genuinely accessible for new buyers
• John McDonald on Kolenberg and Emil McAvoy on Riley are standout critical pieces
• Strong regional coverage across Australia with diverse media representation
Weaknesses
• Artworld Analysis spreads too thin across 3 unrelated topics in 6 pages
• Exhibition listings section lacks curatorial filtering — reads as a paid directory
Verdict: Essential — The Under 5K framework is the most practical collector tool published this season; worth the cover price for the price guide alone.
