newcastle art gallery collection increases in value
October 19, 2022

Paint the town

Since 1945, Newcastle Art Gallery has proudly cared for one of Australia’s most significant public art collections. Works of renowned artists, many of them Novocastrian, are now lifting the value of the gallery’s 7,000-plus collection.

Thanks to generous donations and grants, the Newcastle Art Gallery Collection increases in value as it undergoes a $40 million expansion to better showcase its diverse collection. As such, the gallery is currently closed, and it is anticipated that the additions will be complete by 2025.

The collection, valued at $115 million in 2020, was recently revalued and found to have increased significantly (by $11 million). Lockdowns, it turns out, led people to invest in art.

Made up of donations, cultural gift objects and gallery purchases, the collection is not just Australian artworks either.

“We have the most significant Japanese ceramics outside Japan. We have bronzes by Rodin. We’ve had so many incredible benefactors over the years,” Gallery Director Lauretta Morton says.

But Australian artists do resonate with local audiences. “Our community feels close to particular works; for example everyone loves Brett Whiteley’s Summer at Carcoar,” Morton says. While closed, the gallery has loaned out 39 artworks to different state and national galleries, and the collection is also able to be viewed via the gallery’s website. Morton shared some significant artists and pieces worth exploring.

1. INNER VIEW OF NEWCASTLE, JOSEPH LYCETT

Purchased with assistance from the National Art Collections Fund, London, UK, 1961. Lycett – infamous for coming to Australia as a banknote forger – was also recognised for his accurate depictions of places. His work is important to Australians, showing local community working with the settlement. He has four known paintings; the Newcastle Art Gallery holds three of them. This artwork recently increased in value by one million dollars.

Joseph Lycett

2. THE CROW TRAP, SIR RUSSELL DRYSDALE

Gift of Dr Roland Pope,1945. Drysdale is famous for painting the quintessential Australian landscape. “They’re that sunburnt country, that desolation. He absolutely captures the dry harsh environment of Australia,” Morton says. A real crowd favourite, this artwork also went up in value by one million dollars.

Russell Drysdale

3. PORTRAIT OF A STRAPPER, SIR WILLIAM DOBELL

Gift of Captain Neil McEacharn, 1959. Sir William Dobell was much loved in Newcastle and once lived on Bull Street. “You can see the strapper is in his lad jacket, painted with these beautiful blue eyes. The eyes tend to follow you around; it’s a hauntingly beautiful portrait,” Morton says. “His sketches and his studies are just as beautiful as the paintings in my opinion. He was an incredible draftsman.”

Sir william Dobell
Grace Cossington smith

4. WAY TO THE STUDIO, GRACE COSSINGTON SMITH

Gift of the Art Gallery and Conservatorium Committee,1967. Morton is proud that many of the works from the gallery’s female artists have notably increased in value, including this piece by Grace Cossington Smith, plus works by Hilda Rix Nicholas from the modernist era. Works by contemporary artist Cressida Campbell (see artwork 6) have also more than doubled.

5. THE SEA SUN OF 5 BELLS, JOHN OLSEN

Gift of Ann Lewis AO, 2011. Born on Dawson Street, John Olsen is another local favourite. The 94-year-old Olsen often visits the gallery, creating a connection between the collection and the community. This painting has been on the gallery’s ceiling since 2016.

WORDS | ALEXANDRA MORRIS
PHOTOGRAPHY | INstallation view john olesen; The City’ son newcastle art gallery 2016
Artworks | Newcastle art gallery collection

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