Victorian art gallery boosts Indigenous art

The National Gallery of Victoria has bolstered its collection of Indigenous artworks with three new paintings for its Aboriginal section.

A Texas Downs Station picture by Rover Thomas and two Alec Mingelmanganu Wanjina paintings purchased by the gallery in 2008 are now on display.

NGV curator of Indigenous art Judith Ryan said the purchase of the Mingelmanganu works was particularly significant because the artist’s “output was extremely small”.

Lovers of Indigenous art are in for an even bigger treat during September when the new Indigenous wing at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra opens.

The largest display of Indigenous Australian art in the world, including many new acquisitions and rediscovered works from the gallery’s permanent collection, will confirm Canberra as the pre-eminent Australian gallery for Indigenous art.