Residential kerbside clean up starts Monday 17 March.
Margaret Olley (1923–2011) Pineapple flowers and pears 2001 oil on board, 76 x 76cm Gift of the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd. and the Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc., with funds contributed by the Tweed Regional Gallery Donations Fund, 2016 Tweed Regional Gallery collection © Margaret Olley Art Trust
Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre will open Painting Life: Margaret Olley and Works from the Collection on Friday 21 March in the Margaret Olley Art Centre.
The new exhibition is a celebration of still life paintings by Margaret Olley (1923–2011) as well as works by artists inspired by her and the re-creation of her home studio - which is on permanent display at the Margaret Olley Art Centre. Renowned for her significant contribution to the story of Australian still life painting, Margaret Olley lived a life dedicated to art and artists. The exhibition features Olley’s still life paintings from the Gallery’s collection, as well as recent acquisitions, and generous loans from private individuals. It includes contemporary responses to Olley and her vast legacy – works created in the past decade or so and acquired for the Tweed Regional Gallery collection. These works enrich the ongoing narrative around Olley – Australia’s most celebrated painter of still life. Gallery Director, Ingrid Hedgcock said that Olley and the Margaret Olley Art Centre was an inspiration to artists locally and abroad. “Since opening in 2014, Olley’s home studio re-creation at the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre has inspired many artists who have been invited to create new work in response to the display,” Ms Hedgcock said. “Some people look at the re-creation and see chaos. But to her, she was collecting and keeping everything as subject matter for her paintings.” With a focus on Olley and the artists who have responded to her surviving legacy, Painting Life serves to showcase the development of the Gallery’s collection as well as provide visitors with an opportunity to experience inspiring and thought-provoking responses to Olley’s home studio – the objects and rooms in which she loved to paint. Margaret Olley’s Duxford Street home studio in Paddington, Sydney functioned as both site and subject matter for nearly 50 years. The home studio was an ecosystem of art and life, and its re-creation at TRGMOAC serves as a rich and evocative portal into the much-loved artist’s practice. As a legacy of Olley’s generous support for artists over many decades, the Gallery presents an exclusive program of exhibitions that stimulate the creation of new work, continuing the conversation around the genre of still life painting in Australia today. The Gallery would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd., the Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc., the Margaret Olley Art Trust, private donors and Gallery visitors, in the development of the Gallery’s collection. Painting Life: Margaret Olley and Works from the Collection will be on display at the Margaret Olley Art Centre from 21 March until 31 August 2025. The exhibition is complemented by a range of activities and events. For further details, please visit the Gallery’s website gallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/whats-on
Margaret Olley (1923–2011) Wildflowers and pears c.1973 oil on board, 65 x 76cm Purchased through the bequest of Phoebe McNamara and the Tweed Regional Gallery Donations Fund, 2019 Tweed Regional Gallery collection © Margaret Olley Art Trust
Margaret Olley (1923–2011) Hawkesbury Wildflowers I 1970 oil on board, 76.5 x 101.8cm Gift of the Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc., 2021 Tweed Regional Gallery collection © Margaret Olley Art Trust
Photo 1: Pineapple flowers and pears
Margaret Olley (1923–2011) Pineapple flowers and pears 2001oil on board, 76 x 76cm Gift of the Tweed Regional Gallery Foundation Ltd. and the Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc., with funds contributed by the Tweed Regional Gallery Donations Fund, 2016 Tweed Regional Gallery collection © Margaret Olley Art Trust
Photo 2: Wildflowers and pears
Photo 3: Hawkesbury Wildflowers Margaret Olley (1923–2011) Hawkesbury Wildflowers I 1970 oil on board, 76.5 x 101.8cm Gift of the Friends of Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Inc., 2021 Tweed Regional Gallery collection © Margaret Olley Art Trust
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Call 02 6670 2136 or email for all media or interview requests.
Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre 2 Mistral Road (corner of Tweed Valley Way, Murwillumbah South) PO Box 816 Murwillumbah, NSW 2484
The Gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday 10 am to 4 pm (Café 8:30 am to 4 pm).