Manly Art Gallery and Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1930 |
|---|---|
| Location | West Esplanade Manly, New South Wales |
The Manly Art Gallery and Museum (MAGAM) is a special place in Manly, New South Wales, Australia. It was the very first big art gallery outside of Sydney's main city area in New South Wales. MAGAM has a huge collection of Australian ceramics, which are art pieces made from clay. It also has many artworks by Antonio Dattilo Rubbo.
Since 1982, MAGAM has also been a museum. It shows the history of beach life and the story of Manly and the Northern Beaches area. The museum's permanent collection has more than 6,000 items. These include paintings, drawings, ceramics, and historical objects like old documents and photographs.
Contents
The Story of MAGAM
The Manly Art Gallery and Museum is the oldest art gallery built for its purpose in a big city area in New South Wales. It opened in its current spot on West Esplanade in 1930.
How the Gallery Started
A group of people first decided to create the Manly Art Gallery in 1924. Famous artists like Antonio Dattilo-Rubbo were part of this first committee. The art was first kept in the Town Hall.
The building used today was once an outdoor concert stage. It opened in 1922. It was changed into an art gallery by closing off the stage area. The new gallery building was officially opened by Phillip Street, who was a very important judge at the time. When it opened, the gallery already had 200 items. This included 79 paintings and 62 old photographs.
Important Gifts to the Collection
In March 1939, Antonio Dattilo Rubbo gave 100 artworks to the gallery. These included his own paintings, drawings, and etchings. This gift also had works by other famous artists like Grace Cossington Smith. A special room was opened in 1940 to show these artworks. It is called the Dattilo-Rubbo Room. When he passed away, he gave even more paintings and money to the gallery.
In 1947, another person named P S Garling donated 55 paintings. These included works by George Washington Lambert.
Growing and Changing
In 1966, the gallery got bigger. It added a new gallery space, a storage room, and better lighting. Many artworks were bought for the gallery through the Manly Art Prize, which ran from 1962 to 1984.
In 1968, Clarice Thomas held the first exhibition of ceramic art. A large gift from Lady Askin in 1984 helped the gallery keep showing these ceramic works.
In 1981, Clarice Thomas became the full-time Director of the gallery. She had been helping as an unpaid director for about 14 years. The gallery also received money to build a museum next to the art gallery. These new parts and changes gave the building a new entrance. The Dattilo Rubbo Room also became twice as big. After reopening in 1982, the name became the Manly Art Gallery & Museum.
Leaders of MAGAM
Here are the people who have led the Manly Art Gallery and Museum:
- Clarice Thomas (1981–1982) - She led the gallery part.
- Warren Wickman (1982) - He led the museum part.
- Peter Timms (1983–1986) - He was the first to lead both the gallery and the museum.
- Michael Pursche (1987–1998)
- Therese Kenyon (1999–2011)
- Jackie Dunn (2011–2013)
- Michael Hedger (2013-2022)
- Josephine Bennett (started in 2022)
What MAGAM Collects
The museum's collection has art from both today and long ago in Australia. It includes over 1,000 watercolours, prints, drawings, and paintings. There are also some artworks by artists from other countries.
Famous Artworks and Artists
Many artists have given their works to the gallery. These include Margaret Preston and Tom Roberts. In 1930, Colonel Alfred Spain gave Tom Roberts' painting The Flower Sellers (from 1899) to the collection.
Ceramics Collection
Since 1945, MAGAM has been collecting ceramic art. They buy new pieces and also receive them as gifts. Now, they have about 350 ceramic artworks. These are shown in the Lady Askin Ceramics Room. You can see works by artists like Peter Rushforth and Janet Mansfield.
Swimwear Collection
The museum also has over 1,300 items of swimwear. This collection shows how swimwear has changed over time. It tells us about new fabric technologies, fashion trends, and how people's ideas about clothing have changed.
