The Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery has over 1600 works in the collection from the 18th century through to the present day. It contains a selection of old master prints and drawings, modern works by Arthur Boyd, Russell Drysdale, Charles Blackman and a growing body of contemporary works by established and emerging artists.
A strength of the collection is its focus on the cultural heritage of the Mornington Peninsula, which has been a haven and source of inspiration for artists since the 1850s, including Fred Williams and Albert Tucker.
Two new exhibitions at MPRG celebrate works in the collection. Character Traits draws together over 60 portraits from the collection by artists such as Tom Roberts, Arthur Boyd, Fred Williams and Gareth Sansom.
Artist Tom Polo will be researching the MPRG collection and painting a 13-metre wall painting. The public is invited to witness him working from Monday 25 September – Thursday 28 September. Tom Polo was a finalist in this year’s Sulman Prize and the winner of the 2015 Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship.
Also on display from 28 September – 26 November is the National Portrait Gallery’s 2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this annual prize is open to both aspiring and professional photographers and reflects the distinctive vision of contemporary photographic portraiture from across the country.
MPRG is hosting a panel discussion about portrait photography with the 2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize winner Gary Grealy, Dr Sarah Engledow and other finalists in the 2017 award. There are free drop-in activities for the whole family during the exhibition and school holiday workshops for kids on 3 and 4 October.
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington. Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10am–5pm.
Exhibition admission fees: $4 adults / $2 concession. General information: 5950 1580. mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au
First published in the Mornington News – 3 October 2017
