For the first time in almost twenty years, RACV’s collection of more than 1,000 artworks will be made available to the public via a new interactive website to help encourage connection and conversation through art.
Established in 2003, the RACV Art Collection began as a way to support Australian artists by acquiring and displaying their works. Previously, the RACV Art Collection was only available to art lovers in person at RACV Club and Resorts across Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.
The migration of the artworks to the interactive website provides an avenue for art lovers across Australia – both old and new – to discover new artists, learn more about the Collection and interact with the art in a digital environment. Members of the public can curate their own unique selection of works from the Collection within the website.
RACV Head of Visual Arts Mardi Nowak said art has the power to bring people together and the online Art Collection aims to do just that. “At RACV, we value the role art plays in connecting communities, and its ability to foster social cohesion across all ages, backgrounds and cultures,” she said.
“That’s why we’re thrilled to be able to bring the RACV Art Collection to the wider public for the first time in 17 years. There’s no denying we are in difficult and challenging times. The great thing about art is that it brings people together and helps us make sense of the world, which has never been more important than right now.”
“Art has the power to tell stories and begin conversations, and by sharing the RACV Art Collection online we aim to make art accessible to everyone and help to connect communities across Victoria and Australia even further,” said Ms Nowak.
The Collection, which has grown significantly in the past two decades, features the works of contemporary Australian artists whose works reflect the experience and cultural landscape of Australia through an artistic lens.
Notably, the Collection features works by leading Indigenous artists, like Mark Nodea, as well as works by former Archibald winners and finalists, such as Euan Macleod, Del Kathryn Barton and Nicholas Harding.
The new RACV Art Collection interactive website will allow easy access to images, curatorial information and detailed background on the artists and the works to engage with and learn about important Australian pieces. For more information, and to view the collection, visit: www.racv.com.au for details.
Image: Narelle Autio, Entropy, 2006 (detail), c type print, 82 x 110cm – courtesy the artist and Hugo Michell Gallery / photo by Christian Capurro. RACV Art Collection