  Geelong Art Gallery's outstanding collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts spans the art of Australia from the colonial period to the present day. The collection is housed in an early 20th Century building with an imposing classical facade. In 1896, members of the Geelong Progress League eatsblished the Geelong Art Gallery Association and their early efforts led to the development of the collection and the Gallery building. The first acquisition was Frederick McCubbin's masterly painting A Bush Burial, 1890, which commemorates Australia's first pioneers. The acquisition of Australian art is the focus of the Gallery's collecting interests, however this extraordinary regional collection includes also 19th and early 20th Century British and European paintings and 19th Century English and Welsh porcelain. The Gallery has developed a special collection of colonial watercolours, prints and paintings dating from 1840 to 1890 that depict the township of Geelong and its rural hinterland. This unique collection of colonial art includes trophies and presentation pieces made by Geelong's colonial silversmiths. A superb series of exhibition catalogues have been published which document the lives and art work of colonial artists working in Geelong and the Western District. The Gallery is renowned for its exceptional holdings of contemporary Australian paintings and conducts annual acquisitive prizes for contemporary art. Its popular program of temporary exhibitions ranges across all media and periods and this is complimented by a busy program of public events and activities. The Gallery is located in the centre of the City of Geelong, Victoria's largest provincial city. The Geelong Art Gallery's facilities include wheelchair access, a library, conference facilities and a gallery shop.  For further information on the public gallery network in Victoria contact: Public Galleries Association of Victoria Inc. (PGAV) c/- National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Rd Melbourne 3004 Tel: 61 3 9208 0361 Fax: 61 3 9208 0245 |
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