Historian Kitty Hauser examines the myth of Geoffrey Bardon and Aboriginal art

Historian Kitty Hauser explores the life of Geoffrey Bardon in her biography Art Mania, tracing his role in the early Aboriginal painting movement in Central Australia.

Bardon, a former art teacher from Sydney, moved to the settlement of Papunya in 1971. While there, he encouraged local men to transfer their ceremonial designs and Dreaming stories onto boards. He received an Order of Australia in 1988 for his work in preserving and developing traditional Aboriginal art forms.

Hauser investigates the contrast between Bardon's actions in Papunya and his later experience in a psychiatric hospital. After living in Papunya for 18 months, Bardon underwent deep-sleep therapy at Chelmsford hospital. A 1990 royal commission later found that this specific treatment regimen caused at least 24 preventable deaths and numerous cases of brain damage. Hauser uses these two experiences to examine how institutions attempt to shape or "whitewash" the minds of their inhabitants.

The book explores how Bardon crafted a personal myth as a heroic schoolteacher. Hauser argues that Bardon failed to understand the limits of his influence on the Warlpiri, Pintupi, Luritja, Anmatyerr, Arrernte, and Pitjantjatjara peoples. She avoids creating a neat narrative, instead highlighting the gaps in historical records and the boundaries between fact and fantasy. The biography presents a complex and often uncomfortable look at the impact of Bardon's involvement with Indigenous cultures.