Greek Australian artist Michael Zavros’ work The New Round Room has been officially launched by the Art Gallery of NSW. The work won the inaugural Bulgari Art Award, prior to completion.
The Queensland-born, son of a Greek Cypriot father and an Irish mother, says his piece is a meditation on time.
The large painting is inspired by a photograph of the Round Room, the 17th-century vestibule in the Grand Trianon, the ”retreat” built by Louis XIV at Versailles.
Through the painting’s windows, the view of perfectly manicured gardens is light-filled in contrast to the darker, more dramatic colours of the interior. There’s a sense of absence, of vanished lives. Melancholy too, according to Zavros, who says that melancholy is an important part of his work.
The award winning artwork is now on display at the Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney.