New exhibition at Benalla Art Gallery: Re-generation

Published on 28 June 2021

Benalla Art Gallery’s upcoming exhibition, Re-generation, will present highlights from the Gallery’s collection of floral and botanical works.

The exhibited works pay homage to the diverse traditional and contemporary approaches to this genre in Australian art while exploring the relationship the Benalla Art Gallery has with its position in the Benalla Botanical Gardens.

Re-generation features key works including Tim Maguire’s Poppies (2007) and Love of Plants I through VIII (2007), which will be on display for the first time. These works have been offered as a donation to the Gallery through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program.

Many artworks featured in the exhibition are drawn from the body of 19th and 20th century work generously donated by the Ledger family, whose contributions included funds that assisted in the design and construction of the Benalla Art Gallery within the Gardens in 1975.

Benalla Art Gallery Director Eric Nash emphasised the importance of the Gallery’s setting within the Gardens.

“The Benalla Art Gallery’s position in the Benalla Botanical Gardens informed its initial design and continues to shape the way people experience the Art Gallery,” said Mr Nash.

The Benalla Botanical Gardens were completed in 1887 by noted landscape designer Alfred Sangwell.

Re-generation will be on display in the Ledger Gallery from 25 June until 5 December 2021. Entry is free.

For more information about the gallery and current or forthcoming exhibitions, go to benallartgallery.com.au