The Quest for Red: Trade and Experiment
Piracy, war, espionage, exploration and international intrigue are all brought into play at the Macleay Museum in this exhibition, which explores the ways humans have exploited pigments to make the colour red.
The quest for red is the story of red’s influence in human history across the world.
Click here for a brief online tour
The exhibition looks at red in three forms: mineral (ochre), animal (cochineal) and artificial (aniline).
On display will be an enormous variety of items from the University’s collections, from those originating in ancient Cyprus to those from the modern-day Torres Strait Islands, from Chaucer to Spiderman and from Leeuwenhoek to Japanese lacquer work.
27 March to 30 January 2012
Monday–Friday 10–4.30
First Saturday of the month 12–4
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Did you miss Senior Curator, Dr Jude Philp discussing The Quest for Red on Arts Wednesday, with Eastside Radio's Jane Raffan?
Download the inteview here: download mp3 [11.6Mb]
Image - Warup [drum] (detail) © Michael Myers 2010.
Wood, enamel paint, lizard skin, rubber
Erub (Darnley) Island, Torres Strait, Queensland
Donated by D Wells, 1984.
Macleay Museum: ET84.173