A Snapshot of Contemporary Australian Art: Artbank celebrates its 45th
“The development of the collection has been this wonderful snapshot of Australian art across time”
– Paul Adair
Artbank, tucked away in the back streets of Collingwood, is a federal government program that quietly supports Australian artists. Despite this significant undertaking, curator Paul Adair explains it remains relatively unknown to the general public, “we don't do a lot of marketing and promotion… a lot of what we do is word of mouth. People come and they’re so overwhelmed they tell everyone,” this has led to 45 years of success, making Artbank one of the longest-running arts and culture initiatives in Australia.
Image credit: Installation view On Display, Artbank Melbourne, August 2025. Photos by Christian Capurro for Artbank.
Diligently, the staff at Artbank have been working hard to support Australian artists through the acquisition of their work and promotion of contemporary Australian art to the wider public. Fully self-sufficient, Artbank purchases pieces from artists and galleries and leases them out to offices, workplaces, embassies, and even homes. In doing so, they pave the way for Australian contemporary art to be viewed in everyday life, bringing the public closer to that which may seem distant.
To celebrate, Artbank reflected on their 45th anniversary, by launching a landmark publication On Display: The Story of Artbank, Australia’s Most Visible Art Collection, along with the exhibition On Display, and hosting a gathering with members of the sector to mark the occasion.The exhibition is a tremendous display of Australian contemporary art, with works from each decade since Artbank began, showcasing iconic artists such as Sidney Nolan and Richard Bell, alongside more recently acquired and emerging artists such as Ali Tahayori and Emma Buswell.
Adair sheds further insight into the selection for the exhibition:
“We have works from each decade, and we have a couple of works that were part of the original bequest, which was around 600 works from what was the National Gallery's touring collection. Works like Jeffrey Smart and Gunter Christmann, which have fed into what is Australian contemporary art today.”
Image credit: Emma Buswell, Between draft and final intentions, 2024 Textiles Wool, acrylic and cotton yarn, #16826.
While the publication delves into the history and processes of Artbank, the exhibition serves as a snapshot of its expansive national collection. “We tried to capture that essence, a good representation of art across Australia,” Adair explains. On Display remains only a sample of what can be found in the collection. He clarifies, “There's a number of works that could be right to showcase the entire collection.” It’s a beautiful thought that seems unspoken in the exhibition itself, but it forms the essence of the program.
As Adair mentions, this is evident through its acquisitions: “Artbank is often the first national or public collection to acquire early career artists' work.” For many, it marks a pivotal moment in their careers, not only for artists but also for gallerists, as it's “a really wonderful moment for us to buy a work from a gallery for the first time.” The depth and diversity of the collection reflects the respect the program has for the arts; being bought by Artbank is regarded as a mark of excellence by experts in Australian contemporary art and the art market.
Image credit: Gunter Christmann, Heavy Jelly, 1969, Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 170.5 x 124.5 cm.
The constant movement of the collection also parallels the staff’s daily operations, as half of their inventory is out on lease at all times. Yet, the visible storage allows for conceptual potentialities. “There are relationships that form between the works, that act of storage often informs ideas that translate into exhibitions…that feeds into everything else because we want our exhibitions to reflect what we're doing on a day-to-day basis.” The salon-style storage motif, while practical, has become representative of the core of Artbank: the close relationship between art and life. Art in the office, at home, and overseas within Australian embassies; Artbank is driven by accessibility.
This is reflected in Adair’s answer when asked what part of Artbank makes him most proud: “I'm definitely proud of getting people into Artbank… We're leaning into those opportunities where it is open and accessible to anyone… about 180 people came through over 2 days for Open House Melbourne, which is massive for us and only a handful knew what Artbank prior.” Looking ahead, it does seem that Artbank will only grow.
For 45 years, Artbank has been promoting Australian contemporary art and helping the sector. For Adair, who also had his work bought by Artbank as an emerging artist, its impact is reflected in his experience as well; “I started at Artbank as a collections officer in the registration team and now in the role of curator, and have been for a few years now, it's a privilege for me to be able to contribute to the development of the collection, I never thought I would be in that position. So very happy to be doing it.”
Image credit: Artbank staff Paul Adair and Katie Tremschnig Artbank Melbourne collection store, photograph by Nicole England for Artbank 2025. Artwork featured is Jemima Wyman Scapeology (Waterfall), 2005.
On Display is showing at Artbank Melbourne until 10 October 2025
Featured Artists: Howard Arkley, Jean Barth, Richard Bell, Pat Brassington, Emma Buswell, Robert Campbell Jnr, Gunter Christmann, Hannah Cutts, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Newell Harry, Emily Kam Kngwarray, Pru La Motte, Rosemary Laing, Lindy Lee, John Mawurndjul, Jazz Money, Sidney Nolan, Bronwyn Oliver, Margaret Olley, Patricia Piccinini, Jeffrey Smart, Yasmin Smith, Ali Tahayori, Tennant Creek Brio (Fabian Brown Japaljarri & Rupert Betheras), Ruth Waller, Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu
