Historical Introduction to the Collection

In 1892, Geelong's principal cultural venue, the Mechanic's Institute, held an Art Exhibition and Musical Festival, which included works by established and emerging colonial artists as well as those of European origin. The success of this event raised the possibility of forming an art gallery. It was thought that its collection would consist primarily of European paintings and the decorative arts, which would both inspire and provide examples for young artists as they began to learn how to draw and paint. This would then lead to a firm grounding in art and the ability to establish a significant Australian school of art.

Four years later, members of the Geelong Progressive League voted to establish the art gallery, formed a special committee, and assembled an exhibition of loaned works.

In 1900, the Geelong Gallery acquired its first paintings, which were a mixture of European and Australian works that were either bought or donated. The most outstanding painting to emerge from this formative year was A bush burial, painted by Australian artist, Frederick McCubbin, and purchased by public subscription. It is now regarded as a major example of the work produced by the "Heidelberg School", a group of young artists who set out to create an independent, nationalistic art style.
Frederick McCubbin, A bush burial, 1890.

Over the following decades, more paintings were added to the collection which, from 1915, was housed in its own building. Initially, emphasis was placed on acquiring British and European art. Since settlement, such art was generally considered superior to colonial efforts. It was, however, also familiar to the first generations of Australians and remained a nostalgic link to the "Old Country". Committee members and eminent collectors were therefore solicited to purchase paintings on behalf of the Gallery during their travels to Britain.

As well as occasionally providing the funds to obtain a particular painting, a number of these enthusiastic collectors also donated works from their own collections. Most notable were brother and sister, James H. McPhillimy and Miss L.J. McPhillimy who presented seven Victorian paintings and sculptures to the Gallery. The J.H. McPhillimy Prize for paintings was also established, as was a bequest fund, both of which enabled the acquisition of a further forty-one works comprising primarily Australian art with the occasional Japanese print and aboriginal artefact.

The Victorian paintings donated by McPhillimy included works such as Benjamin Leader's scenic view, On the Thames 1878, Henry W.B. Davis's pastoral scene, A placid morning on the Wye 1890, Thomas Faed's social comment, Reading the Bible 1845, and Edwin Long's Egyptian-inspired, The Babylonian maid 1883. Encompassing a number of thematic issues of the time, this significant group of work forms the nucleus of the Gallery's strong British collection.
Edwin Long, The Babylonian maid, 1883.

Similarly, it is through the benefaction of another collector that a secondary area of the Gallery's collection rose to prominence. Oswald Gibson was an avid collector of, amongst other things, Asian objects, which he collected during his journeys through the East. As a result, the Gallery has a fine collection of Asian furniture, ceramics and metalwork, many of which reflect in their decorative details the daily rituals and the religious beliefs and personages that were integral to each country's cultural identities. Images of their gods, the warrior class and daily life are represented in the artefacts that form this small but important part of the collection.

While the Gallery was largely reliant on the generosity of enthusiastic connoisseurs and collectors, the desire of the committee to maintain a professional standard was evidenced in the constant dealings it had with succeeding directors of the National Gallery of Victoria. The experience these directors had in managing a public gallery, as well as their involvement in the local art scene, were frequently called upon on procedural matters or collection development.

This was particularly significant in the growth of the Australian component of the Geelong Gallery's collection. Local artists such as Lily de Crillon Berthon, Helen Peters and J.W. Sayer were happy to donate works to assist in the formation of a permanent collection. Selecting and obtaining the works of more "eminent" artists proved a little more difficult, and the staff of the National Gallery of Victoria was invaluable in providing suggestions. It is therefore perhaps no coincidence that McCubbin's A bush burial, unsuccessfully proffered to the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of South Australia, finally found a home at the Geelong Gallery. Other artists such as Eugene von Guerard and Walter Withers also made their way into the collection.
Walter Withers, A breezy day off Point Henry, 1901

While the regard for British and European art remained high, the move towards a collection that is predominantly Australian strengthened. This was not only demanded by the Australian art community but, in more pragmatic terms, the comparatively low prices fostered the tendency to acquire a high ratio of Australian art. As a result, after the increasing professionalisation of art institutions in terms of staffing and procedure, a collection policy was formulated with the main area of collecting being Australian art and, in particular, contemporary Australian art. The Gallery has always collected contemporaneous work, and in the new century this trend remains unabated, giving the Geelong Gallery one of the most significant contemporary art collections in regional Australia.

The primary methods of acquisition also continue to be gifts, bequests and bequest funds, and prizes. The greatest reliance is placed on gifts, some being outright donations while others are presented through federal taxation incentives schemes such as the Cultural Gifts Program. On-going bequest funds include those of Dorothy McAllister, for early British (1780-1820) and Australian porcelain as well as examples of work by Geelong's colonial silversmiths, and Sybil Craig, for works on paper. Acquisitive prizes have been held at the Geelong Gallery since 1939, with the most recent being the Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, sponsored since 1996 by the Geelong Art Gallery Foundation, and the Geelong Print Prize, sponsored since 1996 by the Gallery Grasshoppers. Examples of paintings by artists such as Janenne Eaton, Dale Frank, Lindy Lee and John Nixon and prints by printmakers including Rosalind Atkins, Pat Brassington, Deborah Klein and Imants Tillers are the most recent additions to the collection through these prizes. With a fluctuating acquisitions budget, 6% of the collection comprises outright purchases, with the focus being on contemporary Australian art and colonial works relating to the Geelong district.

With the collection now numbering more than 4,400 works of art encompassing paintings, works on paper, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork and glass, the Geelong Gallery remains one of Australia's major regional galleries. It continues its strong tradition of preserving the art of the present and the past for current and future generations of artists and for the community as a whole.