Gippsland Art Gallery
38°06′42″S147°03′49″E/ 38.1117°S 147.0635°E
![]() External front façade of the Port of Sale building | |
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Established | 1965 |
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Location | 70 Foster Street,Sale, Victoria |
Coordinates | 38°06′42″S147°03′49″E/ 38.1117°S 147.0635°E |
Type | Art gallery |
Director | Simon Gregg |
Website | http:// gippslandartgallery |
TheGippsland Art Gallery,formerlySale Regional Art Centre,is aVictorianRegional Public Gallery based inSale,220 km (140 mi) east ofMelbourne.The gallery is operated by theShire of Wellington,and has a focus on the natural environment and artists based inGippsland.
History
[edit]The gallery was opened on 25 September 1965 byRupert Hamer,as the Sale Regional Art Centre. It was built above the Sale Library at 82 Macalister Street, Sale. Construction of the gallery was funded by astate governmentgrant of £20,000, with the Sale City Council contributing a further £10,000.[1]An intensive program of temporary exhibitions was organised, complete with educational materials, and the institution soon became an important resource centre for schools, arts and crafts groups and the public, covering the whole area of Central and East Gippsland.[2]
In 1989 the gallery was relocated afterblue asbestoswas found in the ceiling.[3]It occupied several temporary locations before settling at 288 Raymond Street for some time.[citation needed]
In 1995 the gallery relocated to its current location at 70 Foster Street and changed its name to the Gippsland Art Gallery.[citation needed]
Between 2015 and 2017 the building underwent a major redevelopment to improve facilities and increase exhibition space. The new fit-out was designed by FJMT Architects, Melbourne, and opened to the public on 6 January 2018.[citation needed]
In 2018, theExxonMobil AustraliaCollection of Australian Art, a significant collection of artworks spanning the breadth of the twentieth century, was donated to the gallery.[4]
In 2020 the Gippsland Art Gallery Foundation was launched, a charitable fund to support acquisitions of major artworks and projects into the future.[citation needed]
Past exhibitions
[edit]The gallery has presented a number of significant exhibitions throughout its history. Important exhibitions include 'FromFrederick McCubbinto Charles McCubbin' (2008), which explored the creative legacy of the McCubbin Family; 'Lost Highways' (2009), the first major survey exhibition of work by Melbourne artistTony Lloyd;and 'Disappearers' (2009), which explored the absent figure in the work of eight contemporary Australian photographers. The Gallery has also presented major exhibitions of work byWilliam Delafield Cook,Robbie Rowlands,Kylie Stillman,Sam Jinks,Charles McCubbin,Annemieke Mein,Jane Burton, andBill Henson.In 2011 the Gallery presented the first ever comprehensive survey of work by Russian-born Swiss artistNicholas Chevalier(1828–1902). The exhibition coincided with the release of a major publication by Curator Simon Gregg, which includes a detailed catalogue raisonne of Chevalier's Australian works. The exhibition later toured toGeelong Art Gallery.[citation needed]
In 2021 the Gallery hosted the prestigiousArchibald Prizefor portraiture.[citation needed]
Governance and description
[edit]The gallery is operated by theShire of Wellington.Its director since 2018 is[when?]Simon Gregg.[citation needed]
It is located at the Port of Sale, 70 Foster Street, Sale. It exhibits art of all media, styles and periods, but has a focus on the natural environment and artists based in Gippsland.[citation needed]
The gallery has six exhibition spaces over 800 m2(8,600 sq ft), including a space dedicated to Sale-based textile artistAnnemieke Mein,which rotates displays twice times annually.[citation needed]
Permanent collection
[edit]Gippsland Art Gallery is home to a permanent collection of over 3,000 items, consisting of paintings, works on paper, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, woodwork and metalwork. The collection has a focus on the natural environment, and specifically Gippsland artists and Gippsland themes. The collection includes works byPieter Bruegel the Elder,Jan Hendrik Scheltema,Portia Geach,Fred Williams,Peter Booth,Rodney Forbes, Victor Majzner, Rosemary Laing,Tony Lloyd,Polixeni Papapetrou,Annemieke Mein,Charles Rolando,Bill Henson,Ann Greenwood,Andrew Browne,andSam Leach.[citation needed]
It is also home to the Esso Australia Collection of Australian Art, a significant collection of 20th century artworks.[4]
John Leslie Art Prize
[edit]The gallery hosts the biennial John Leslie Art Prize forlandscape painting,which is presented every even year. The award is named after John LeslieOBE(1919—2016), former Patron of the gallery.[5]
As of 2022[update]the main prize is a $20,000 acquisitive award, and there is also a $1,000 non-acquisitive prize for the "Best Gippsland Work".[5]
Past winners are David Keeling (2000), Vera Möller (2002), Mark McCarthy (2004), Brigid Cole-Adams (2006), Andrew Mezei (2008), Jason Cordero (2010),Tony Lloyd(2012), Shannon Smiley (2014), Amelda Read-Forsythe (2016), Vanessa Kelly (2018),[citation needed]Sarah Tomasetti (2020), and Greg Wood (2022).[6]
.
Publications
[edit]To mark its 50th birthday, in 2015 the Gallery publishedHindsight: Gippsland Art Gallery History & Collections, 1965–2015.Written and compiled by Simon Gregg, the 446-page book chronicles the history of the Gallery, collection highlights, and a complete collection catalogue.[citation needed]
Past directors
[edit]Past directors are:[citation needed]
- Gwen Webb OAM (1976–1990)
- Giacomina Pradolin (1990–1991)
- Anthony Dahlitz (1992)
- Judy Miles (1993–1994)
- Michael Young (1994–2005)
- Anton Vardy (2005–2017)
References
[edit]- ^"Sale Regional Arts Centre".Art and Australia.12(3): 282. January–March 1975.
- ^The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art.Melbourne: The Miegunyah Press. 2006. p. 1098.ISBN0-522-85317-X.
- ^Gregg, Simon (2015).Hindsight: Gippsland Art Gallery History & Collections, 1965-2015.Sale: Gippsland Art Gallery. p. 64.ISBN978-0-9873896-7-1.
- ^ab"Esso Australia donates world-class art collection to the people of Gippsland".ExxonMobil Australia.5 June 2018.Retrieved2 May2022.
- ^ab"John Leslie Art Prize".Gippsland Art Gallery.Retrieved24 March2022.
- ^"John Leslie Art Prize 2020".Gippsland Art Gallery.Retrieved24 March2022.