Margaret Olley moved to Brisbane when she was 12 and was a boarder at Somerville House school for girls in South Brisbane from 1937 to 1940 where they were quick to recognise Olley’s talents and recommended to her mother that she attend art school. Her friend and fellow artist Margaret Cilento also began formal art…
Continue reading » “Go back in time to Margaret Olley’s Brisbane”
The ‘Glengallan’ sideboard 1868 is one of Queensland’s most significant examples of heritage furniture. While the backboard depicts the national symbols of an emu and a kangaroo, the inclusion of the lorikeet and pineapple give it a more local flavour. The carving is attributed to Matthew Fern, who was appointed the first instructor of wood…
Continue reading » “Go back in time with Queensland’s commanding ‘Glengallan’ sideboard”
As the Queensland Art Gallery celebrates 40 years on the South Bank of the Brisbane River on 21 June 2022 — in a building dedicated for the display of the State Art Collection — we look back at the story to find a permanent home. After the Queensland National Art Gallery was established, the Gallery…
Continue reading » “Queensland Art Gallery: Finding a suitable site”
The Queensland Art Gallery celebrates its 40th anniversary at our South Bank site on 21 June 2022. Over the coming weeks, we will look back at the Gallery’s history, delve into our archives, and share our stories. Since the Gallery opened at South Bank in 1982, the Cultural Centre has evolved into the arts and…
Continue reading » “A Cultural Centre for Queensland: The proposals”
When the new Queensland Art Gallery opened on the South Bank of the Brisbane River on 21 June 1982, it seemed that the hopes expressed at the Gallery’s initial opening in 1895 were at last being realised — that the beginning of the Gallery, though ‘small and humble… would be the beginning of a very…
Continue reading » “Queensland Art Gallery: An historical perspective”
George Wishart (1872-1921) was born in Brisbane and was taught painting by Isaac Walter Jenner, Brisbane’s foremost marine painter (illustrated below). Wishart also worked professionally as a photographer and was associated with local firm Thomas Mathewson Photographic Studio (see contemporary depictions of Brisbane below). Wishart’s painting A busy corner of the Brisbane River 1897 (illustrated)…
Continue reading » “Go back in time to a busy corner of the Brisbane River”
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.