Art Gallery & Museum
Manly Art Gallery and Museum was first metropolitan-based regional gallery in New South Wales
Since opening in 1930, the gallery and museum has become a popular destination and well known for it's focus on Australian ceramics, and extensive holdings of paintings by Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo.
Ceramics
Manly Art Gallery & Museum has been developing an important collection of Australian ceramics which trace the development of styles and techniques in Australia since 1945. Through an active acquisitions program and donations, the collection is one of Australia's most significant ceramic resources.
Artists
The collection represents many key artists including Peter Rushforth, Ivan Englund, Janet Mansfield and Gwyn Hanssen Piggott. The works represent the diversity of techniques, aesthetics and artistic practice within the broad field of ceramics.
Display
Works from the collection, totalling approximately 350, are on a changing display in the Lady Askin Ceramics Room. The collection was expertly assessed in 2005 by Gillian McCracken and information on the works and the artists is readily available for research.
The ceramics collection is also available for viewing online
Dattilo-Rubbo Collection
A leading art teacher and artist, Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo helped instigate the Manly Art and Historical Collection in 1924, which led to the establishment of the Gallery six years later. Although there were two regional galleries in country NSW by 1924, there was no precedent for a metropolitan, regional gallery. Rubbo was a founding committee member of the Gallery and donated a large body of his work in 1940.
Manly Art Gallery & Museum holds 130 paintings by Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo the largest collection of his work in any institution.
For more information a website has been created to celebrate Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo's life and work.
Youth Art Awards
The Gallery presents two annual youth art awards. They are awarded to two students whose HSC final year high school artworks are hung in the Express Yourself exhibition each March. These awards present a unqiue opportunity for young artists living in the Northern Beaches region.
Exhibitions
Manly Art Gallery & Museum is a hub of cultural activity and presents a creative program of changing visual arts and museum exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions include touring shows, artist surveys and national group focus exhibitions. The smaller gallery is dedicated to the artists from the Northern Beaches region. It features solo contemporary shows, retrospectives, surveys and group exhibitions.
Sundays at the Gallery
The Gallery holds many diverse events relating to the exhibitions as well as a 'Sundays at the Gallery' program of guided tours, artist talks, workshops, performances and other special events.
Manly Arts Festival
The Gallery also coordinates the Manly Arts Festival each September which highlights the diversity of arts practice in the Manly region, from music to performance and the visual arts. For the latest information, visit the official site:
Museum
The Museum section is dedicated to preserving Manly's unique history as one of Australia's most loved beach resorts. Opened in 1982, the Museum focuses on the history of Manly and the Northern Beaches with changing, annual exhibitions.
Beach Culture
The particular emphasis is on beach culture in the 20th century, and the collection includes many wonderful examples of swimwear, surfcraft, beach memorabilia as well as over 3000 historical photographs of the Manly area and its people.
Art Collections
Manly Art Gallery & Museum has a superb collection of contemporary and early Australian paintings and works on paper, as well as some international works. The art collection was borne through the generosity of artists and donors including Margaret Preston, Thea Proctor, Will Ashton and Lloyd Rees. Themost famous painting, Tom Roberts’s 'The Flower Sellers' c.1899 was donated in 1936 by Colonel Spain.
The extensive collection now contains over 1,000 watercolours, prints, etchings, drawings and paintings.
Manly Art Gallery & Museum Society
The Manly Art Gallery & Museum Society plays an important role in the Gallery's ongoing operation.
Read more about the Manly Art Gallery And Museum Society here
Giftshop
The Manly Art Gallery and Museum has a gift shop selling souvenirs from the Gallery as well as a unique collection of cards an other items.
Opening times
Tuesday to Sunday
10am-5pm
Public Holidays
Closed
Address
West Esplanade, Manly
Phone: (02) 9976 1420
email: artgallery@manly.nsw.gov.au
Free Entry
Entry to the Manly Art Gallery and Museum is free.