'I never think art should ever be removed – I think it should be contextualised over time, and these paintings have become history paintings now,' said the artist behind Ben Roberts-Smith's war memorial paintings.
The artist whose portraits of soldier Ben Roberts-Smith have been at the centre of a fierce debate surrounding their placement at the Australian War Memorial believes that the works should remain up, but be given additional context following last week’s federal court judgment.
Ben Roberts-Smith in front of his portrait at the Australian War Memorial in 2014, painted by Michael Zavros.Zavros rarely takes on commissions – normally his work is directed by his own ideas and passions – but in 2014 he made a rare exception, producing two portraits of soldier Ben Roberts-Smith for the War Memorial.
“I’ve often felt this in a myriad ways,” says Zavros. “When I look at my favourite paintings in great museums overseas, you know, I have changed after 10 years – the work hasn’t changed, the world has changed around them. Suddenly, we might read something very differently after a time. But I think that’s the power of art – it doesn’t change, but we change around it.”
When contacted by this masthead for comment about their plans or who might be involved in the conversations about adding new context, the Australian War Memorial would not elaborate any further beyond the media statement released on June 2, but a spokesperson for the War Memorial said that the organisation had spoken to Michael Zavros about the future of the display.
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