Reveal: Rediscovering the City of Brisbane Collection
A serene landscape. A street scene of a by-gone era. An abstract print.
It’s intriguing to discover the diverse and eclectic array of works hidden within a museum’s collection. Reveal: Rediscovering the City of Brisbane Collection opens the vault to explore the fascinating visual arts collection cared for and managed by Museum of Brisbane.
Visitors will discover paintings, prints and other works on paper, sculpture and ceramics, from early acquisitions, through to contemporary works, many of them by Brisbane-based artists. Selections of artworks will be rotated throughout the life of the exhibition to showcase as much of the Collection as possible.
Featuring more than 80 artists with many works on display for the first time in a decade, Reveal offers a rare opportunity to discover the city’s collection of artwork, and to gain insights into our historical and artistic past.
What is the City of Brisbane Collection?
The City of Brisbane Collection owned by the people of Brisbane through Brisbane City Council, is cared for and managed by Museum of Brisbane.
This Collection began in 1859 with the foundation of local government in Brisbane. Its holdings expanded in 1912 when a large number of works by local artist Richard Randall were donated to the Collection by the artist’s father. During the 1960s and 1970s more works were added through gifts and purchase when the development of the Collection became the responsibility of the City Hall Arts and Historical Committee. A collection of historical ceramics evolved after the appointment of a curator during the 1970s. Contemporary works by Brisbane artists were acquired during the 1990s.
Since the launch of Museum of Brisbane in 2003, works by contemporary artists and a number of multimedia presentations have been commissioned as part of Museum exhibitions and added to Collection holdings, which now exceed 5000 items.
Image credits:
Phillip McConnell
Untitled, c.1976 (detail)
Richard Randall
Untitled, c1891 (detail)
