Margaret Carnegie Gallery: 2 October - 29 November 2009

 
Fred Williams, Landscape, Bacchus Marsh, 1976

A remarkable exhibition touring from Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, A Generous Gift tells the story of the late Gwen Frolich, her passion for Australian art and her generosity of spirit. Shortly before her death in November 2004, Gwen Frolich finalised her bequest of seventy-three works by major Australian artists, valued at over 1.2 million dollars, from her personal collection the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.

A Generous Gift represents a selection of the Gwen Frolich Bequest and includes paintings, works on paper and sculptures by twenty-three of Australia's most respected artists, including Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, John Brack, James Gleeson, John Olsen, Jeffrey Smart and Fred Williams. Gwen Frolich's connection with the Australian art scene spanned more then three decades, from the beginning of her association, in 1961, with Rudy Komon, now recognised as one of the most influential figures in the Australian art world of the 1960s and 1970s. Gwen oversaw all aspects of the running of a successful commercial gallery - from hanging exhibitions, to managing Rudy's relations with his artists and clients, and keeping the tax man at bay.

Richard Perram, Director of the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, says:
Loved and respected by all who knew her, Gwen developed lasting friendships with many of the artists she worked with. A testament to the affection these artists held for Gwen is the fact many of the works in this collection were personal gifts, given on birthdays or as tokens of their appreciation for her work at the Komon Gallery. 'A Generous Gift' is not just a collection of fine Australian art, it is a collection which represents the passion of one woman for whom art, and the artists who produced it, was a lifetime's love.