The pleasures of looking at pictures from a young age inspired Albert Ullin. At the opening of this exhibition to mark his donation of eighty works by Australian children’s book illustrators to National Gallery of Victoria, he expressed the hope that they would be recognised as mainstream art.

In 1960, Ullin established the Little Bookroom in Melbourne: it was the first dedicated children’s bookshop in Australia. Recounting the history of The Little Bookroom in Paper Empires (2006), he wrote: ‘It was not until the [Children’s Book Council Picture Book of the Year] 1974 award to Ron Brooks for his unique illustrations for The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek, with text by Jenny Wagner, that the Australian picture book came into significance.’ It is fitting, then, that the Bunyip headlines this exhibition in tandem with Peter Pavey’s domesticated fire-breather from One Dragon’s Dream (1978). The Bunyip seems to stare through the window of NGV’s Studio straight at the pink-striped face of another 1970s icon on show at ACMI – David Bowie Is.