Bendigo Art Gallery


Bendigo Art Gallery in Bendigo, founded in 1887, is one of Australia’s oldest and largest regional art galleries. The Bendigo Art Gallery hosts Australia's richest open painting prize, the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize, worth $50,000, which was launched in 2003.

Building

The gallery's collection was first housed in the former Bendigo Volunteer Rifle's room, converted into an exhibition space by Bendigo architect William Charles Vahland in 1890 and renamed Bolton Court. In 1897 it was extended with Drury Court, designed by local architect William Beebe. In 1962 the gallery was again extended with office space and additional exhibition spaces, as well as a new entrance. From 1998 to 2001 the gallery was refurbished and expanded with a new sculpture gallery designed by Fender Katsalidis Architects.

Collection

The gallery's collection has a strong emphasis on British and European Continental 19th-century painting, with works by Ernest Waterlow and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes among others. Australian work from the 19th century onwards is also well represented, including Charles Conder and Arthur Streeton.

Prizes

The gallery's logo is an image of Ettore Cadorin's statue Venus tying her sandals. Cadorin was an Italian-born American, but was married to an Australian contralto, Erna Mueller, who trained at the Bendigo Conservatory. He sold the statue to the gallery after visiting it in 1913.