Pittwater Life January 2024 Issue

Art Life
Art Life
Gallery’s 100 years of collecting
Manly Art Gallery &
Museum (MAG&M) is
celebrating 100 years of
public collecting, with a series
of exceptional exhibitions and
special events in 2024.
Kicking off the celebration
is Collection 100: Gifted, on
exhibition until 18 February.
The exhibition honours the
philanthropists, artists, donors
and members of the public
whose contributions have
shaped MAG&M’s impressive
public art collection.
Northern Beaches Mayor
Sue Heins said the 100-yearold
collection all began with
the purchase through public
subscription of an Australian
impressionist painting – Middle
Harbour from Manly Heights by
Seaforth based artist James R
Jackson.
“Manly Art Gallery & Museum
is the oldest metropolitan
purpose-built regional gallery
in NSW, officially opening in
1930,” Mayor Heins said.
“The collection began six
years before the building
opened, when a committee of
12, appointed by Manly Council,
considered that a prize-winning
artwork by James R Jackson
was far too precious to pass
out of Manly.
“Describing the possible loss
of the painting as a ‘catastrophe’,
they raised funds by
public subscription to purchase
the work, and gifted it to Manly
Council.”
This painting will be on display
at Collection 100: Gifted,
alongside early works by Tom
Roberts, Ethel Carrick (Manly
Beach – Summer Is Here 1919,
right) and Antonio Dattilo-
Rubbo, and more recent works
by Elisabeth Cummings, Wendy
Sharpe (Blue Harbour 2018,
below) and Kathy Cavaliere.
Opening alongside this
exhibition is Surface Effect:
Ceramics Collection Stories,
showcasing some of MAG&M’s
extensive ceramics collection.
This exhibition emphasises
the intricate interplay between
ceramics, painting, and printmaking,
revealing the common
threads that unite artists in
their creative process. From ancient
pottery to modern sculptures,
ceramics have provided a
canvas for painters and printers
to explore new techniques.
Works by Belinda Fox &
Neville French, Elisabeth Cummings
& Barbara Romalis, Noel
McKenna, Danie Mellor, and
Guan Wei make visible the
connections between ceramics,
painting, and printmaking
and the shared characteristics
intrinsic to the artists’ hand.
Surface Effects: Ceramics Collection
Stories runs until 28 July.
“The spirit of generosity and
the belief of art as intrinsic
to our community lives on at
MAG&M,” Mayor Heins said.
“The gallery continues to be
a hub for creativity and culture,
connecting artists, donors and
the community.
“We thank each and every
donor over the past 100 years
for their generous contributions
to our public collection.”
Also, the Gallery will be
hosting ‘ICONIC: Lost in Palm
Springs’ – a discussion on Midcentury
Modern (MCM) design
– on Thursday 18 January
(6pm-7.30pm). At this special
event, artist Paul Davies, artist/
curator/designer Liane Rossler
and architect Penelope Seidler
AM will share their thoughts on
contemporary approaches to
living with MCM.
It’s part of ‘Lost in Palm
Springs’, an interdisciplinary
exhibition bringing together 14
creative minds – including internationally
recognised artists,
photographers and thinkers
from America and Australia –
who respond to, capture, or
reimagine the magical qualities
of the landscape and the
celebrated mid-century modern
architecture found in the renowned
Californian desert city.
Lost in Palm Springs runs
until 25 February.
*More info MAG&M website
34 JANUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991