Ipswich art lovers have a final chance to view a painting by renowned American artist Mark Rothko which has been on display at the Ipswich Art Gallery as part of an historic loan from the National Gallery of Australia.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the painting would return to Canberra in November after two years on loan as part of the Federal Government’s Sharing the National Collection program.
A special public event, Farewell to Sharing the National Collection, will be held at the Ipswich Art Gallery on Sunday 15 November.
“In 2024, Ipswich Art Gallery entered an historic agreement with the National Gallery of Australia to display works by highly regarded American abstract expressionists Mark Rothko and Agnes Martin, as well as Ipswich’s own internationally renowned ceramicist Gwyn Hanssen Pigott,” Mayor Harding said.
“Rothko’s 1957 #20 oil-on-canvas painting, Martin’s Untitled III and Untitled #8, and two ceramic assemblages from Hanssen Pigott have since called Ipswich Art Gallery home, to the pride of locals and visitors alike.
“Since the works went on display, we have had more than 140,000 visitors to the gallery, including hundreds of education and tour groups.
“It has been an honour for the City of Ipswich and for Ipswich Art Gallery to have been able to share such significant art works with residents of Ipswich in their own backyard, without having to make a trip to the nation’s capital.”
Mayor Harding said it was an amazing coup for the city’s art lovers to have had artwork of such calibre and international fame in the Ipswich Art Gallery.
“Rarely do you see artwork of this quality, value and significance made available to regional galleries,” Mayor Harding said.
“Our community will have this final month to take in the treasured works before the special event on 15 November. Tickets will be free, but bookings are essential via the art gallery website.
“Ipswich-based actors David Paterson and Davis Dingle will perform excerpts from Red, the acclaimed two-person drama written by John Logan, exploring the artistic psyche and motivations of Mark Rothko at the height of his career.
“A question and answer session will follow with David Paterson and director Timothy Wynn, Artistic Director of THAT Production Company, exploring Rothko’s legacy, his enduring influence, and the power of art and performance to express unseen and untold emotions.”
Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and Agnes Martin (1912-2004) are both considered major figures in postwar American abstraction, using colour and geometry to explore emotion. Rothko’s 1957 #20 oil-on-canvas painting was purchased by the National Gallery in 1981 and was most recently valued at $116 million.
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott (1935-2013) was a ceramicist who lived and worked in Ipswich, with several pieces already in the Ipswich Art Gallery Collection.
Ipswich Art Gallery in d’Arcy Doyle Place in Ipswich Central is open daily, 10am to 5pm. Entry is free.
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