SHARING THE NATIONAL COLLECTION: BOYD RETURNS TO BUNDANON

Eleven works by one of Australia’s most beloved artists, Arthur Boyd, will be loaned to Bundanon Art Museum thanks to the Albanese Labor Government’s Sharing the National Collection program.

Bundanon is an Australian cultural institution and living arts centre that supports the arts through its residency, education, exhibition and performance programs.

Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne had a long association with Bundanon, buying first an adjoining property and moving there in the 1970s, and later purchasing Bundanon which was then gifted to the nation for the enjoyment of artists and visitors.

On loan from the National Gallery of Australia, Bundanon will present the works in two parts exploring the artist’s early career. Created in the 1930s when Boyd lived with his grandfather at Port Phillip Bay, the works fill a gap in the chronology of Bundanon’s collection.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the works would educate audiences about Boyd’s legacy.

“Arthur and Yvonne’s gift of Bundanon was one of the most significant acts of philanthropy to the arts in Australia and it’s one that keeps giving.

“At any point 98 per cent of our national collection is held in storage. The national collection belongs to the entire nation, not just to Canberra and I’m glad to see these works back in such a special place.”

Member for Gilmore, Fiona Phillips said she was thrilled the Boyd works were returning to the Shoalhaven.

“This really is an exciting and rare opportunity to see Arthur Boyd’s works back here in the Shoalhaven, a place that inspired so many of his paintings.

“Bundanon is a place of local and national pride, and I’m so thrilled that art lovers on the South Coast will have an opportunity to view these amazing works at Bundanon.

“I hope everyone will take this opportunity to visit Bundanon and see the 11 works, while enjoying the magnificent property nestled in bushland on the banks of the Shoalhaven River.”

Director of the National Gallery, Dr Nick Mitzevich, said the loan was a celebration of Australian art history.

“This partnership with Bundanon through the Sharing the National Collection program is an example of how the national collection celebrates regional Australia through our art history.

“Renowned Australian artist Arthur Boyd gifted these works of art to the nation, and he had a deep connection to Bundanon and its surrounding landscape, shaping its legacy

as a place of artistic inspiration. It is exciting to be able to share eleven of his works with a community that inspired him.”

Rachel Kent, CEO, Bundanon said the loan was a delight.

"Bundanon is delighted to have the opportunity to show these wonderful Arthur Boyd works including portraits of Doris and Mary Boyd in our new exhibition The Hidden Line: Art of the Boyd Women. These paintings mark a particular moment in time when a young artist is recording the important women artists in his life." Rachel Kent, CEO, Bundanon.

Sharing the National Collection is part of Revive, Australia’s national cultural policy.

The program has provided $11.8 million over four years to fund the costs of transporting, installing and insuring works in the national art collection so that they can be seen right across the country. 

Regional and suburban galleries can register their interest in the loan program here.