A Pavane for Another Time is a reflective and deeply personal memoir by Bernard Smith, widely regarded as Australia’s foremost art historian and critic. Written later in his life, the book blends autobiography, cultural commentary, and art history, offering readers an intimate look at the intellectual and personal journey of a man who shaped the study of Australian art for decades.
 
The narrative reflects on Smith’s formative years, his scholarly pursuits, his role in developing art history as a discipline in Australia, and his engagement with broader social and political issues. The title evokes a sense of nostalgia—“pavane” being a slow Renaissance dance—suggesting both a meditation on the past and a recognition of cultural traditions giving way to modernity.
 
Smith not only revisits key moments in his academic and professional career but also engages with the intellectual and aesthetic debates that defined his era. The memoir thus becomes both a personal history and a chronicle of Australia’s evolving art and cultural landscape during the 20th century.
 
This book was released in limited numbers, primarily targeting art scholars, libraries, and collectors of Australian art history.