Visual Arts Collection

The Visual Arts Collection includes works by highly-regarded national, international and Hunter-based artists; and comprises painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture, ceramics and installation as well as digital artworks, including video, sound works and new media.

The collection began in the early 1970s with the periodic acquisition of artworks by Lake Macquarie City Council and with the Charlestown Square Art Prize (1986 – 1991).  With the establishment of the former gallery in 1980, the collection has evolved through purchase, acquisitive prizes, donations and commissions.

The collection comprises a strong core group of two-dimensional works by established contemporary Australian artists, a number of key works by Sir William Dobell (bequeathed by Ruth Spenser Komon), large-scale contemporary sculptures in the park and Indigenous works on paper.

The art museum continues to develop its collection through private philanthropic support, the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, and various funding bodies, particularly for Sculpture Park commissions.

The Visual Arts Collection, valued at over $3 million is searchable online. We continue to digitise our collection to share images of the artwork we hold and care for. 

View MAC yapang's collection online