Collection

The Moree Plains Gallery has one of the most significant collections of indigenous art in regional New South Wales. This is largely due to the recent outstanding gift to the Gallery by Dr Ann Lewis AO of some 60 major paintings and prints by Aboriginal artists from across Australia. As well, in 2008, Mr Chris Hodges and Ms Helen Eager gave eleven significant canvases by Western Desert indigenous artists. Earlier Aboriginal art and artefacts were donated by Mr Robert Bleakley in 1996.

In 1988 when the Gallery was inaugurated, a focus was the dedication of a space to the Kamilaroi people of Moree. In recent years the Kamilaroi people have developed their skills in painting. They have a unique style of art that varies greatly from other language groups. Major artists include Jim Stanley, Margaret Adams and Lawrence Leslie. Their art has elements of a naïve style, yet the substance and iconography of their painting is profound and relates to their own, very special cultural history. The Kamilaroi people are traditionally carvers rather than painters. The Moree district is famous for its Kamilaroi carved trees. They can be found on properties throughout the Shire. The Gallery’s collection includes important carved trees that we intend to ultimately house in a keeping place in the Gallery gardens.

Significant acquisitions have included contemporary paintings from major artists such as Ian Abdulla, Sally Gabori, Arone Meeks, Dorothy Napangardi, Trevor Nickolls, Gloria Petyarre, Elizabeth Nyumi Nungurrayi, Michael Riley, Maxie Tjampijinpa and Judy Watson.

The Moree Plains Gallery collection is primarily constructed around ideas and concepts relevant to the historical, environmental and cultural concerns of the people of the Black Soil Plains. The collection is a balance between historical and contemporary cultural materials in recognition of the rich heritage of the region and the variety of cultural production in the region.

Over the past few years the Gallery has aimed to build on the strengths of the collection by acquiring significant works by indigenous and non-indigenous artists, mainly through gifts and endowments from private collectors. For example, a major gift in 2006 comprised 10 works of key 20th century artists including Noel Counihan, Arthur Murch and Roland Wakelin. These works add substantially to the figure studies and landscapes in the collection by non-indigenous artists.