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The next exhibition in the Margaret Olley Art Centre features rare and significant artwork by renowned Australian painter Margaret Olley.
Generously gifted to the Tweed Regional Gallery collection by the Margaret Olley Art Trust in February of this year, the exhibition marks the first time this painting has been on public display since it was painted 76 years ago.
The painting, titled Still Life with Pink Paper and Plums, was revealed to the delight of guests at a Tweed Gallery Foundation Ltd event – Building a collection, Sharing a collection – on 29 February 2024. The Margaret Olley Art Trust gifted the artwork to the Tweed Regional Gallery collection in recognition of the service of Susi Muddiman OAM as Gallery Director from 2007 - 2023.
Painted in 1948, Still Life with Pink Paper and Plums showcases Margaret Olley’s precocious talent and confident approach to painting still life, signalling the start of a long and enduring career as one of Australia’s most celebrated painters of still life and interiors. The work was made in the same year as Olley held her first solo exhibition, when she became a ‘darling’ of Sydney’s artistic scene and was catapulted into the attention of the Australian public as the subject of Sir William Dobell’s famous Archibald Prize-winning portrait.
Gallery Director Ingrid Hedgcock was thrilled for this rare work to become part of the Gallery’s significant collection of Margaret Olley artworks.
“The rarity of a major painting like this to remain from this early part of Olley’s career is extraordinary. We are thrilled by the generosity of the Margaret Olley Art Trust to secure this artwork and gift it to the Tweed Regional Gallery collection,” Ms Hedgcock said.
The Margaret Olley Art Trust was established by the artist in 1990 to acquire paintings for public collections. The Trust has continued to support Margaret Olley’s legacy as one of Australia’s most beloved artists since her death in 2011.
“Only a small number of paintings remaining from this period are held in public collections, so it is fitting that Still Life with Pink Paper and Plums finds its home at the Tweed Regional Gallery alongside the re-creation of Olley's famous home studio, which allows unique insight into her life and legacy as Australia’s most celebrated painter of still life,” Ms Hedgcock said.
Trustee of the Margaret Olley Art Trust Philip Bacon AO said the Trust was delighted by the opportunity to acquire the new painting which had been in private ownership for many decades.
“This is a seminal piece of work by Margaret Olley – it’s a beautiful painting that has been around for almost 80 years but is only now on public display for the first time for everyone to enjoy,” Mr Bacon said.
“We were thrilled to be able to acquire it for the Tweed Regional Gallery in honour of long-serving former director Susi Muddiman, whose devoted service and stewardship of the Margaret Olley Art Centre has made the Gallery such an incredible drawcard for the region.”
Unveiling the artwork in February, Ms Muddiman OAM said she was honoured by the gift to the Gallery in her name, and genuinely ‘delighted and surprised’ that this important painting had been acquired for the Gallery’s collection.
“The Gallery and the Margaret Olley Art Centre is such an important part of my life,” Ms Muddiman said.
“I am so proud of the wonderful success of the Gallery. It has been a privilege to bring so much joy to so many people over the years. I am especially grateful to Philip Bacon and the Trust for their confidence in me in establishing the Margaret Olley Art Centre here. I am proud of what we have achieved here over such a short period of time.”
The painting will be on display until 11 August 2024 as part of a new exhibition in the Margaret Olley Art Centre, Margaret Olley: from the collection. For more information, visit Margaret Olley from the collection | Tweed Regional Gallery (nsw.gov.au)
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