Collection
Charlestown Square Acquisitive Art Prize
The collection features works by key Australian and Hunter-based artists acquired in a number of ways.
Some of the most significant of these were acquired through the City of Lake Macquarie – Charlestown Square Art Prize (1986-1991), charting the themes explored by artists during this dynamic period in Australian art. The works from this sub-collection of the gallery’s holdings represent a generous and visionary gesture by the management of Charlestown Square Shopping Centre of the time, to support the development of a permanent collection for the city.
Thirteen works were acquired, with prize money ranging from $4,000 to $6,000 annually. In 1989 the sponsorship agreement was transferred to the Lend Lease Corporation, who had taken over Charlestown Square. The legacy was a strong beginning to a locally supported regional collection selected by esteemed judges who understood the contemporary art scene and the context for which the works were being acquired.
Charlestown Square Acquisitive Art Prize 1986-1991 Winners
- 1986
- Painting: Marion Borgelt
- Drawing: Robert Boynes
- 1987
- Painting: Janet Laurence
- Drawing: Gary Willis
- 1988
- Painting: Rodney Pople
- Drawing/assemblage: Anthony Galbraith
- 1989
- Painting: joint winners Lindy Lee and Mark Titmarsh
- Drawing: Ruth Waller
- 1990
- Painting: John Smithies
- Drawing: Ken Unsworth
- 1991
- Painting: Bernhard Sachs
- Drawing: Peter Read
Ken Unsworth Untitled no. 19 1987
charcoal on paper, 157 x 220cm
City of Lake Macquarie and Charlestown Square Art Prize (1990)
Peter Read Between carriages 1991
charcoal on paper, 81.5 x 132cm
City of Lake Macquarie and Charlestown Square Art Prize (1991)
