The Last Critic Standing

Both have witnessed the shrinking of arts coverage in Australian media and the changing role of the critic. What is lost when there are fewer independent voices willing to make difficult judgments? And what happens when those who remain feel the pressure to be everyone’s good friend?

John McDonald has been one of Australia’s most widely read art critics for more than four decades. He served three separate stints as senior art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, beginning at just 23 years of age, was Head of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Australia, and is the author of The Art of Australia: Exploration to Federation. Since the Herald ended his column in 2024, he has continued writing independently, demonstrating that a critic can outlast the masthead.

Michael Reid OAM spent a decade as weekly art market columnist for The Australian before writing a weekly column for six years in the Sydney Morning Herald‘s Good Weekend. He is Chairman of Michael Reid Galleries, with spaces across Sydney, Berlin, regional Australia, and a space expected to open in Los Angeles in late 2026. Reid remains one of the country’s most recognisable voices on the Australian art market.

Be prepared for a kind but frank conversation about criticism, the changing media landscape, the art market, and why independent opinions, in this time of mass validation, still matter.

This talk will be held in the Collector Lounge, Sydney Contemporary