Peter Bray Gallery facts for kids

The Peter Bray Gallery was an important art gallery in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It opened in 1949 as the Stanley Coe Gallery. After a change in management, it was renamed the Peter Bray Gallery in 1951. The gallery was located at 435 Bourke Street and closed its doors in 1957. During its short but busy time, many famous Australian artists showed their work there. It was a key place for showing new and exciting art in the middle of the 20th century.

Who Ran the Gallery?

The gallery had two main directors who helped choose and display the art. Helen Ogilvie was the director from 1949 to 1955. Later, Ruth McNicoll took over from September 1956 until the gallery closed.

The gallery was owned by Peter Bray. He was interested in showing art, but he also sold modern furniture by designers like Grant Featherston. In the 1950s, it was quite common for shops to sell both art and furniture in the same place!

Artists and Their Amazing Art

Brita Sievers with her ceramics and paintings by Elma Amor at Peter Bray Art Gallery, Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 1957. Photo: Wolfgang Sievers and Peter Bray Gallery. From the State Library of Victoria.

The Peter Bray Gallery was known for showing paintings, sculptures, and prints by important Australian artists. Many of these artists were creating new and different styles of art for their time.

Helen Ogilvie, who was also a printmaker and painter, was very supportive of new artists. She helped them get their start. In 1949, she became one of Australia's first women gallery directors. She set up the exhibition space on the top floor of Stanley Coe's design shop. The artist Tate Adams once called it "the lone beacon in town for contemporary art." This means it was one of the only places showing modern art in Melbourne.

Many well-known artists showed their work here, including:

• John Brack: He first showed his art here in 1953. The gallery later sold his famous painting Collins Street, 5 pm to the National Gallery of Victoria.
• Charles Blackman: He showed his unique series of schoolgirl paintings in 1953. This helped him become very famous.
• Ian Fairweather
• Leonard French: He showed his Illiad series, which were some of his first experiments with house paint on Masonite.
• Arthur Boyd: He exhibited his work in 1953 and later showed his interesting ceramic sculptures in 1957.
• Inge King
• Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack: His first show in a commercial gallery in Australia was at Peter Bray Gallery.
• Sydney Nolan
• Clifton Pugh

Even after working with famous sculptor Henry Moore overseas, Lenton Parr held his first Australian exhibition at the gallery in 1957. Helen Ogilvie herself was a talented artist and craftsperson. She was involved in the "Crafts Revival" of the 1950s and 60s.

Exhibitions at the Gallery

A poster for a group exhibition of prints by Melbourne artists at the Peter Bray Gallery in 1956.

The gallery often changed its exhibitions. Shows usually lasted only about a week or a week and a half. Besides individual artist shows, there were also group exhibitions. These might feature artists working in a specific type of art, or shows by different art groups and societies.

For example, in 1953, there was a show called Drought paintings by Sidney Nolan. In 1956, John Brack showed his "Race Course Series" of paintings and prints. The gallery was always busy bringing new and exciting art to the public.

Images for kids

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  Gordon De Lisle, Couple photographed at exhibition opening at Stanley Coe Gallery, 4 December 1950