This landmark anthology of new and archival writing on the Adelaide art scene across six decades reveals the untold story of the highs and lows of progressive art in Adelaide since the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Adelaide Art Scene: Becoming contemporary 1939-2000 is a compelling, multi-faceted account of the milieu in which progressive art evolved - through the roles of key artists and of landmark exhibitions, through bursts of maverick art criticism and art activism, through the competitive roles of art societies, the rise and fall of key art galleries, and the changing role of the city's flagship art museum, the Art Gallery of South Australia.