15 FEBRUARY - 17 MARCH

This major exhibition from the Art Gallery of Ballarat examines the way in which Australia's amazing and diverse flora has been recorded, interpreted and popularized by botanical artists, in particular the period associated with the promotion of these new 'exotick' plants in Britain and Europe. During the 19th century, the growing middle class, both in the colonies and the home country developed an insatiable interest in horticultural pursuits while scientific institutions were building up their knowledge of botanical resources. New printing techniques allowed prints to be coloured mechanically, resulting in a boom in botanical art which lasted into the 20th century.  An Art Gallery of Ballarat exhibition

MISS MAUND AND BENJAMIN MAUND  Telopea speciosissima 1837-1842 (detail)  engraving on paper, hand coloured 12.7 x 16.1cm Collection: Art Gallery of Ballarat, Purchased with funds from the Joe White Bequest, 2010

5 JANUARY - 10 FEBRUARY

This major survey exhibition presents the work of 2002 Wynne Prize winner Angus Nivison, an artist who has spent years painting landscapes which embody his understanding of the environment. Nivison comes from family of graziers in the New England region of NSW and his relationship to the land has developed into a sophisticated visual language replete with tension and emotion. Nivison studied at the National Art School and has exhibited regularly in group exhibitions since 1974 and solo show since 1982. In 2002 he won both the Wynne Prize and the Muswellbrook Art Prize. In 2011, Angus was the winner of the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, and recently spent a three-month residency at the AGNSW Cite Studio in Paris. Nivison’s work captures the mood of landscape through an expressive mode of mark making. A Tamworth Regional Gallery exhibition.

ANGUS NIVISON  Summer Cotton Bimbang 2009 (detail) acrylic & mixed media on canvas  200 x 260cm Collection: Tamworth Regional Gallery

9 NOVEMBER - 16 DECEMBER

The Blake Prize challenges artists to explore the relationship between art, religion and spirituality.  The Prize invites an open, personal and idiosyncratic response, so much so that it has earned the criticism, ire and sometimes applause of critics and the public alike. The 2012 Blake Prize exhibition features the works of finalists to 61st Blake Art Prize and shortlisted poems of the 5th Blake Poetry Prize.

 
MAX BERRY  Ascent  2011  (detail)  acrylic on timber  120 x 300cm

28 SEPTEMBER - 4 NOVEMBER

The annual award exhibition for portraiture by contemporary Australian women artists. The award, which was first given in 1965 in memory of the artist Portia Geach, displays selected entries from artists across the nation representing diversity in contemporary portraiture. The Award is recognised as one of the most important celebrations of the talents and creativity of Australian female portrait painters and has played a major role in developing the profile of the nation’s women artists.

SALLY ROBINSON The Artist's Mother 2012 synthetic polymer paint on cavas 151 x 106cm

17 AUGUST - 23 SEPTEMBER

The exhibition celebrates the enormous contribution David Boyd and his family have made to the country’s cultural life. Comprising more than 100 works – paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics by Boyd and his extended family – it explores the threads that connect the works, and to reveal to the viewer that the art of David Boyd is linked intrinsically with that of this remarkable artistic dynasty.

DAVID BOYD The Protestors 1968 (detail) oil and sfumato on canvas 91 x 122cm Collection: Australian War Memorial, Canberra