New South Wales' South Coast Is Set to Score a Huge New Bushland Art Gallery

The new Shoalhaven facility will house more than $43 million worth of art, including pieces by Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, Brett Whiteley and Arthur Boyd.
Sarah Ward
July 01, 2018

In the coming years, works by Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, Brett Whiteley and Arthur Boyd will find a new home on the New South Wales south coast. The pieces will form part of an art gallery that's set to spring up on the Bundanon property at Riversdale in the Shoalhaven region, with the New South Wales government committing more than $8.5 million to revamp the site.

A quarter of a century since the 1100-hectare property was gifted to the Australian public by artist Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne Boyd — becoming a haven for creativity, arts and education, as well as remaining a working farm — it'll welcome a new space to house the Boyds' other gift: over 3800 items, including with more than 1300 works by Arthur Boyd himself. At present, hundreds of pieces can be viewed in the existing Bundanon Homestead, as well as in Arthur Boyd's studio; however the forthcoming expansion will see the construction of a gallery and storage facility for the huge art collection, which is valued at $43 million.

While the new plans centre around the gallery itself, which will built into the site's hillside and boast windows that frame the artwork with glimpses of the natural splendour outside, that's not the only addition as part of the project. A 140-metre-long by nine-metre-wide structure will branch out of the gallery, into a bridge spanning across the Bundanon bushland and parkland, and across to 34 bedrooms, a teaching and dining space, and a public cafe. Stepped terraces, an openair arrival hall and an outdoor learning space are also mooted.

The NSW government's contribution has been allocated through the state's Regional Cultural Fund, with $28 million required in total to complete the project — and an opening date yet to be announced.

"Arthur Boyd's extraordinary works live on as enduring inspiration for the many passionate and talented artists across regional NSW," commented NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin. "This new facility housed on this famous landscape will pave the way for the Bundanon Trust's revered $43 million collection to be housed and presented for all visitors to enjoy."

Images: Kerstin Thompson Architects.

Published on July 01, 2018 by Sarah Ward
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