Ballarat’s art gallery

The gallery was opened in 1890 and was impressive considering the size of the town. Art work was displayed in mixed combinations. For someone like me who doesn’t linger by older examples, this forced me to notice all work on show. Most art was Australian with a splash of English artists. 

Crossing from one gallery to the next

Brisbane no longer has one art gallery. In an adjoining building, was the modern art gallery of more than ten years, The Goma. This one seemed to excite the many students visiting the gallery far more than the subdued original site.

A disgruntled painter?

I never miss a rare visit to Brisbane’s art gallery. It’s right on the Brisbane River opposite the city, next to Southbank. My favourite wander is past Aboriginal art, particularly traditional works that rely on earth colours. While displays change every visit, I savour my trips.

A wander through Paradise Garden

I was ready to leave Melbourne’s State Theatre after seeing the Arthur Boyd collection, until I rounded a corner on to Sidney Nolan’s Paradise Garden.

A State Theatre treasure

One of my all time favourite Australian artists has always been Arthur Boyd. On a previous visit to Melbourne, there had been a special exhibition of his Bride Series at the Heide.

Sydney Nolan

One of Australian artist, Sydney Nolan’s most famous series was his Ned Kelly paintings. As I wandered through the Reed’s original home which made up part of the Heidi Museum of Modern Art, I came across one from the series hiding in the library.

Albert Tucker

The Heidi Modern Art Museum in Bulleen, just outside Melbourne, had a small section on Albert Tucker whose work had a distinct Australian feel. The colours bled of the Australian landscape. From the gum trees, I could almost smell the eucalyptus oozing off the synthetic paint.

Heidi’s Outdoor Sculpture

Even if you don’t venture inside the Heidi Modern Art Museum in Bulleen just out of Melbourne, meandering around the vast grounds you’ll discover an array of sculpture.

John Olsen’s Lake Eyre Series

During the 1970s, John Olsen journeyed into Central Australia with a naturalist to Lake Eyre. This remote lake below sea level was usually a dried up salt pan, but on Olsen’s trip it had rained. The area was then overrun by thousands of fish and pelicans.

John Olsen’s Sea Paintings

After the artist spent several years in Europe, he returned to Australia. As explained in a video at the NGV exhibition, most Australians live around a saucer — from Bristbane around to Perth — following the coast.