The State Library of NSW is calling for public support to help conserve and digitise over 300 unique works of art, and place them on permanent display for the first time in the Library’s history.
The selected paintings, many by well-known artists including Conrad Martens, John Glover and Judy Cassab, will be a major highlight for visitors when the State Library’s new galleries open later this year.
According to State Librarian John Vallance, the Library has been “actively collecting items that tell the story of our state and nation since 1826, and now we’re inviting members of the public to sponsor a remarkable piece of our history.”
“The works feature people and places from the 1790s to today, with portraits of the extraordinary and the everyday, rare and recent views of Sydney and the harbour, streetscapes showing life in our developing cities and suburbs, and burgeoning rural townscapes,” said Dr Vallance. “We need your assistance to support the conservation, presentation and interpretation of these significant works.
“When our new Michael Crouch Family Galleries open later this year, people will be amazed to see just how many extraordinary items – paintings, maps, photographs, letters and diaries, books, objects – we have had stored in our underground stacks.”
With the generous support of the late Michael Crouch AC, the State Library is doubling its gallery spaces and placing more of its amazing treasures on public display than ever before.
For more information about how you can Sponsor a Painting, visit: www.sl.nsw.gov.au for details.
Image: Sydney – Capital New South Wales, ca.1800 / artist unknown – Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales