Collection
The Shepparton Art Gallery was established in 1936 and houses a fine collection of ceramics and paintings.
History
Granite Boulders, Buffalo, c.1913-14
The Shepparton Art Gallery was established in 1936 with a fifty pound grant from the State Government.
Sir John Longstaff, and Robert D. Elliot were instrumental in securing the initial money and Longstaff became advisor to the Council on acquisitions. By 1949 the collection totalled 37 works and was displayed in the Town Hall. The policy aimed to secure an historical selection of Australian Art with a few European paintings.
By 1960 the collection was one of the few left in regional Victoria that lacked a purpose built gallery. With the redevelopment of the Civic Centre in 1965, a gallery was incorporated. Significant changes took place in the 1970s with ceramics featuring as the main collecting area. The creation of a State Government Ministry for the Arts saw an increase in funding to the gallery.
The present building was completed in 2001 with funding from the Federal Government, through the Federation Fund.
Ceramics Collection
Transitional Bodies, 2006
The Shepparton Art Gallery houses one of Australia's leading collections of historical and contemporary Australian ceramics which includes work by the first convict potters through to individual studio potters and commercial potteries.
Highlights of the collection include Delinquent Angel 1961 by John Perceval; Spruce Ginger Beer Bottle c1830 by Jonothan Leak; and The Lovers' Platter c1958 by Arthur Boyd. Australia's leading contemporary ceramicists are also represented, including Stephen Benwell, Deborah Halpern, Gwynn Hansen-Piggott and Neville French.
There are always selections from the permanent collection on display. Currently, the history of Australian ceramics is told chronologically from commercial potteries such as Bendigo, Hoffmann and Preston through the early studio ceramics movement including Murumbeena to contemporary ceramics.
Paintings & Works on Paper Collection
The Wood Sawyer, c.1905
The Shepparton Art Gallery has a fine collection of Colonial, Modernist and Contemporary paintings and works on paper.
Specialist areas of the collection include the work of female Modernists, the Melbourne ROAR studios and artists and works of the region. The first work purchased for the collection was 'A Wet Day at Tallarook' by John Rowell.
The collection holds over 500 works on paper, including many prints from the 1970's when printmaking underwent a major revival. Artists include: George Baldessin, John Brack and John Peart.
The painting collection encompasses early colonial works by artists such as Eugene von Guerard and Louis Buvelot through to contemporary works by Peter Booth and Tony Tuckson.
