Bernard Smith and Robert Hughes: a critical dialogue.

The article explores the origins and development of the public dialogue between Australian art historians Bernard Smith and Robert Hughes. The dialogue started when Hughes was commissioned to write the catalogue essay for the exhibition "Recent Australian Painting" showcased at the London Whitechapel Gallery in England in 1961. It mentions the role of the Antipodean Manifesto drafted by Smith as a topic of contention for Hughes. Also described are their perspectives on Australian art.