Rockhampton’s nationally significant art collection has been boosted by the acquisition of five new artworks, all paid for by philanthropic donations.
All of the works purchased were entries in The Gold Award 2022.Heading the list is the award’s acquisitive prize-winning artwork, Wendy Sharpe’s Self Portrait as Circus Banner in Purple Skirt 2021.
In addition, four works by artists Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Ian Smith, Gordon Hookey and Euan Macleod were purchased by The Gold Award 2022 Patron Program donors.
The Gold Award was developed in 2012 after a significant bequest to the Rockhampton Art Gallery Trust by the late Moya Gold. The biennial award is an acquisitive art award funded by the interest from Moya Gold’s bequest.
The Gold Award 2022 Patron Program was established to enable the purchase of artworks from the Gold Award. Twenty patrons made up of local individuals and businesses, provided the funds for the most recent purchases.
Rockhampton Regional Council Communities and Heritage portfolio spokesperson Cr Drew Wickerson praised the generosity of the donors.
“I would like to pay tribute to the vision and legacy of Moya Gold whose substantial bequest continues to allow Rockhampton Museum of Art to undertake this leading Australian art prize, he said.
“I would also like thank the individual donors of the Gold Award 2022 Patron Program who contribute regularly to this acquisition fund for the Gold Award, helping to build on our nationally significant collection,” he said.
Rockhampton Museum of Art Philanthropy Board Chair Leonie Gray said: “The greatest joy of being a Gold Award patron is knowing that you are part of the rich tapestry of philanthropy that has shaped and will continue to shape and grow the Rockhampton Museum of Art collection; a collection that will be enjoyed and treasured by the community now and for generations to come.”
About the artworks
Self Portrait as Circus Banner in Purple Skirt 2021, by Wendy Sharpe is the 2022 winner of the Gold Award. Sharpe’s painting is a humorous and self-deprecating image of the artist herself in the style of a circus sideshow attraction.
Baratjala 2020 by highly respected Yolŋu Elder Noŋgirrŋa Marawili is a stunning bark painting that uses line and dot patterns to represent natural elements of a coastal place from her childhood in east Arnhem Land.
Across & down fig 2021 by Ian Smith, although appearing to be an abstract composition, depicts the overwhelming tangle of vines and roots typical of giant fig trees of tropical north Queensland, where Smith grew up.
Highly Commended prize-winner, Gordon Hookey’s Burke and Wills 2021, provides a humour-filled lesson about the importance of Indigenous knowledge. The Waanyi artist has painted a satirical take on the legend of the titular 19th century explorers Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills, who died of starvation in what the artist describes as ‘a land of plenty.’
Euan Macleod’s Esplanade (after Arone) 2021 refers to the artists’ friend, the prolific and charismatic Cairns-based artist Arone Meeks, whose untimely death last year left a significant void in many hearts. Here, he strides larger than life along the town waterfront.
Moya Gold’s (1928-2000) generous bequest to the Rockhampton Museum of Art Gift Fund led to the development of The Gold Award, a biennial, acquisitive art award celebrating Australia’s finest painters at the peak of their careers. Moya was a philanthropist, teacher and lover of the arts whose bequest is dedicated to the purchase of Australian paintings for the Rockhampton Museum of Art Collection. Through the Gold Award, Australia’s finest practising artists including Ben Quilty, Del Kathryn Barton, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Michael Zavros, Imants Tillers, and Richard Bell have been added to what has grown to become a nationally significant collection.
