The film explores the life, philosophy and impact of one of the most influential early 20th century modernists, Marcel Duchamp. The film breaks down Duchamp's ideas and applies them to both historical events and the modernist explosion that blanketed the early 20th century. Art of the Possible isn't simply a biopic; rather, the film shows how Duchamp's ideas changed the public consciousness, and our understanding of aesthetics, art, and culture. The film highlights the singular impact of Duchamp's philosophy on art, and, more importantly, examines how Duchamp's revolutionary ideas from the early 20th century have shaped the 21st century and modern day.

Marcel Duchamp: Art of the Possible

The year is 1973. A reforming Labor government swept into power determined to change the direction of the country. In an act of unpredendented daring the Whitlam government paid the highest price ever for an American painting for it's planned National Gallery. The painting was Jackson Pollock's "Blue Poles".  'Drunks did it' screamed the tabloid press. Journalists, politicians and cartoonists had a field day, while everybody, but everybody, across the nation had an opinion.  Today painter Jackson Pollock's masterpiece is unquestionably the most famous painting in Australia. It has become a symbol of our independence, signaling the departure from our British roots and entry into a brave new world.

Poles Apart: The Blue Poles Controversy

A detailed look at a remarkable artist who died in 1999 at age 85.  Aspects of Burckhardt's work in photography, film, and painting are examined in interviews with Rudy Burckhardt, painter Yvonne Jacquette, and curators Robert Storr (former Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, New York) and Brian Wallis (Chief Curator, International Center of Photography, New York).  In his studio in New York, Burckhardt discusses his photography and its significance within its historical framework. In the woods near his summer home in Maine, the viewer sees Burckhardt's easel and painting in front of the scene he is depicting.  Whether in city or country, Burckhardt appreciated and transformed the chaos he discovered.

Rudy Burckhardt: Man in the Woods

Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Henry Geldzahler reflects on the 1960s pop art scene in New York.