Gallery acquires playful icon

ADMIRERS of the late John Brack’s unique painting style might like to chase up the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s newest acquisition.

The Brack family have decided to donate the iconic Australian artist’s playful 1959 work, The Chase to the institution’s permanent collection.

“This is one of his best works, and it was in the very significant Antipodeans exhibition in the National Gallery, showcasing a new wave in Australian art,” Art Gallery of director Louise Tegart said.

“We are very grateful to the Brack family for this very exciting donation to our collection, which is already one of the country’s great collections of Australian art.

“The fact that the Art Gallery of Ballarat has been chosen to be the recipient of this gift is really significant because it highlights the esteem that the collection is held in nationally, and its calibre.

“Brack is a unique force in Australian art and the donor knew that we would value and show the work, rather than put it into storage.”

Famous for works including Collins St, 5p.m, The Bar, and portrait Barry Humphries in the character of Mrs Everage, Brack often used his family as inspiration and models.

The Chase’s subject matter of girls on the move is like Two Running Girls, which he painted during the same period.

But Ms Tegart said who the three children are in the picture, and what the action scene is about, is open to interpretation.

“While it appears quite a simplistic image, there’s a lot going on,” she said.

“It could be about children at play, a symbol of young girls moving into womanhood, or the performance of femininity and womanhood.

“People bring their own interpretation to it, and that’s what great art is about.”

A work by artist Helen Maudsley, Brack’s wife, is in the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s permanent collection, as is a portrait of her, painted by her husband.

“We’re starting to piece together this really beautiful collection of works around that family unit,” Ms Tegart said.

The Sewing Machine from 1955 and Hand Balance from 1973 are also in the gallery’s collection, alongside other Brack works on paper.

“The Chase joins our significant holding of works by the other Antipodean artists, Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, David Boyd, John Perceval, Robert Dickerson and Clifton Pugh,” Ms Tegart said.

The Chase will be displayed on the ground floor for a month before it’s relocated to a first floor space.