Five eastern Australian galleries will be loaned pieces from the national collection to share with regional and suburban communities.

A large room with yellow walls covered in black dots resembling a leopard print pattern.
THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS, 2017, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2018 with the assistance of Andrew and Hiroko Gwinnett, © YAYOI KUSAMA

The Sharing the National Collection initiative supports the National Gallery of Australia with loaning some of the country’s much-loved works to galleries and cultural institutions across regional and suburban Australia.

The latest loans include:

  • Grafton Regional Gallery – Shanta II (blue) by James Turrell who is known for his installations, and Hollow by renowned sculptor Anish Kapoor.
  • Geelong Gallery – Meules, milieu du jour [Haystacks, midday], 1890 by Claude Monet will be on display in one of Australia’s oldest regional galleries for 2 years.
  • Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo – The immersive installation THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS, 2017 by Yayoi Kusama will be available to Dubbo audiences for 2 years.
  • Caloundra Regional Gallery – Woman in jumpsuit by Linda Marrinon will be unveiled to coincide with Caloundra Regional Gallery’s 25th  anniversary celebrations and will be featured alongside works from leading national and local artists.
  • Broken Hill City Art Gallery – A collection of works by women artists including respected First Nations artist Janet Fieldhouse and renowned Australian artists Margaret Preston and Rosemary Madigan.

The most recent loans include the much loved masterpiece Meules, milieu du jour [Haystacks, midday], 1890 by Claude Monet, one of the first and most valuable artworks to be loaned through the program.

The Sharing the National Collection initiative is providing $11.8 million over 4 years to fund the costs of transporting, installing and insuring works in the national art collection so they can be seen right across the country.

Regional and suburban galleries can register their interest in the loan program on the National Gallery of Australia’s website.

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