Join us for the opening of these three new exhibitions!

Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection presents an intimate, rarely seen collection by one of the most original artists of early twentieth century Australia.

Deeply sensitive to the effects of colour, light and atmosphere, Beckett painted the life and scenery of her coastal home in south-east Naarm/Melbourne with an eye for the commonplace and fleeting effects of nature. Her work captures a world on the cusp of modernisation, evoking both the natural environment and simple pleasures of suburbia.

In 1972, the artist’s sister Hilda Mangan donated a group of Beckett’s works to the National Gallery of Australia. It is this collection that will be on view for the first time, their freshness and vitality recently restored by extensive conservation treatment.

Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection will be opened by guest speaker and exhibition co-curator Deirdre Cannon, Curator, Sculpture Garden, National Gallery.

'Clarice Beckett: Paintings from the National Collection' is a National Gallery Touring Exhibition.
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In Gallery 2, Hands on Studio presents Thirty Years of Practice, featuring works by Nicky Annis, Stephen Corsini, Shane Tunks, Frank Van Haldren, Steven Patreach, Elspeth Lowes, Ted Bochinovic and Keith McMillian. Together, these artists represent an extraordinary achievement: thirty years of practice within a supported art studio that has championed access, inclusion and artistic excellence. Their work demonstrates the value of community, long-term creative development, and challenges conventional ideas about who makes art and how artistic careers are sustained.
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In Gallery 3, we are launching Speaking collections: youth perspectives on contemporary art. Curated by local young people, this exhibition features prominent works from the Gallery’s permanent collection. The exhibition is the outcome of several workshops held at the Gallery which invited youth participants to build new skills and consider key works by ten living artists featured in the collection. Works on display are paired with brand new interview footage of each featured artist speaking about their works and answering questions from the young curators. The exhibition presents art making, collecting and curation as a form of intergenerational connection, problem solving and time-travelling.

'Speaking collections: youth perspectives on contemporary art' is supported by Museums & Galleries NSW through the Audience Development Fund.

This opening event is free of charge and open to all.