Blue

Cobalt blue pigment and indigo blue dye are two of the most distinctive and influential colourants employed by artists worldwide. Blue: Alchemy of a Colour explores how artists have created works in the desirable blue and white palette using a wide range of methods and styles, to produce unique and exquisite works of art. On display in the Rio Tinto Gallery of Asian Art, Blue reveals the fascinating metamorphosis of pattern, form and motif stemming from the global trade of these works, and the tales told through the use of this colour in ceramics, textiles, woodblock prints and paintings.

The exhibition focuses on works from the NGV Asian Art Collection and includes Persian, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese ceramics, indigo dyed textiles from China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and India, and selected works from Egypt, England and Italy.