Unstill Life: Art, Politics and Living with Clifton Pugh
Australian Art History Artist Biography Feminist Memoir Political & Social History of Art Mid-Century Bohemian Culture Environmental Conservation History
Unstill Life: Art, Politics and Living with Clifton Pugh is the lavishly-illustrated memoir every Australian-art shelf needs. Judith Pugh, artist and wife of three-time Archibald Prize–winner Clifton Pugh, opens the doors of “Dunmoochin”—their bush studio sanctuary—to reveal how post-war Melbourne’s radical art, conservation and political scenes collided. Across 368 pages of high-quality Uk-trade paper, first-hand anecdotes brush shoulders with never-before-published photographs, sketches and exhibition ephemera, giving collectors a visual feast that complements the vivid storytelling. The generous 9" × 6" format showcases the artwork at near-original scale, while the 1.2-inch spine ensures the book lies flat for easy gallery-style browsing.
Beyond the gossip of bohemian life, Unstill Life is a sharp feminist re-appraisal of the 1950-80s art world. Judith charts how she balanced motherhood, landscape painting and political activism amid a circle that included Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, critic Robert Hughes and the Heide mob. Readers interested in women’s studies, environmental history or Australian Cold-War culture will find fresh primary-source material impossible to source online. The 2008 Allen & Unwin edition, still in very good condition with no inscriptions or page wear, is already out of print and sought-after by galleries and tertiary courses.
For collectors, this ISBN 9781741754773 copy is the sweet-spot: early enough to carry the original colour plates, recent enough to remain sturdy for reading. At just 16.7 oz it mails affordably worldwide, yet feels substantial beside slimmer exhibition catalogues. Whether you’re building an Australiana art library, researching feminist narratives, or simply want a window into Clifton Pugh’s chaotic brilliance, this smoke-free, carefully preserved copy offers an immediate, display-ready addition that appreciates in both cultural and market value.
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