Since the Queensland Art Gallery opened in 1895, the collection of Australian art has changed dramatically. The first Australian works to enter the Collection were gifts from Brisbane artists who campaigned for the Gallery's foundation. In the decades following, traditional landscapes, portraits and watercolours were acquired. After World War Two, the Gallery's Australian holdings increased rapidly as successive directors built a series of profile collections.
Today the Collection boasts major works by Edwardian expatriate artists such as George Lambert, John Peter Russell and Rupert Bunny. Arthur Streeton's Sketch for 'Still glides the stream and shall forever glide' 1895 and Roland Wakelin's The bridge under construction 1928 are at the heart of significant groups of Heidelberg and modernist paintings.
Strong holdings of postwar art include John Olsen's magnificent experimental landscape painting Journey into the you beaut country no. 2 1961 and Robert Klippel's abstract sculpture Opus 247, metal construction 1965-68 1969. The work of the renowned Ian Fairweather was first acquired in 1962 and his paintings are now a highlight of the Gallery's Collection. The Gallery’s Fairweather Room provides the most extensive permanent display of Fairweather’s art in Australia, showcasing works ranging from his early figurative paintings to his renowned abstract paintings, such as Café tables 1957, Kite flying 1958 and Epiphany 1962.
Collection priorities are continually re-evaluated, and the Gallery's collection of Australian art is constantly evolving, shaping new narratives about our cultural history.
The Gallery regularly changes the works on display to ensure visitors have the opportunity to view a wide variety of works from the Collection. The online interactive resource, Design your own tour, includes images and information on some of the art works currently on display. |
