Claire SouterFace (1990)
June Bird Nglala
Woman Dancing (1990)
David Kerr
Bark Ark (1990)
The gallery holds three separate collections (Institute Collection; Rodney Gooch Collection of Indigenous Art from Utopia; Riddoch Art Gallery Collection) totaling approximately 1000 pieces of artwork. The Acquisition Policy focuses on four main areas; Art of the Region; Art by Artists of the Region; Art in Wood; and Contemporary Australian Art dating from the 1960s.
The Rodney Gooch Collection
In 1998 the Riddoch Art Gallery received a major gift, a significant collection of Aboriginal art donated by Rodney Gooch, comprising of over 200 original artworks by the artists of Utopia, Central Australia. This magnificent gift represents the entire art making practice of the artists of Utopia, north east of Alice Springs from the late 1970’s to 1998.
Paintings, sculptures, batik fabrics, coolamons and other artefacts by many of Australia’s well-known Aboriginal artists are included in the collection including works by Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Ada Bird Petyarre, Lyndsay Bird, Kathleen Petyarre, Gloria Petyarre, Ronnie Price, Paddy Jangala, Billy Petyarre and Mary Kemarre. Also, emerging artists Hazel Kngwarreye, Hilda Bird, Janet Kngwarreye, June Bird and Audrey Kngwarreye amongst others.
The Rodney Gooch collection also includes a series of black and white photographic portraits of the artists by Nicholas Adler.
Collection News
Riddoch Art Gallery has received a generous gift from the Edkins family of an extensive collection of artworks by Cathleen Elizabeth Edkins. The paintings, drawings and ephemera included in the gift, include examples of her work from her whole artistic career. The artworks are an important addition to the Riddoch Art Gallery Collection, and will be valuable as research material into the life and artistic output of this local artist, who had a reputation nationally particularly as a painter of horses.
The gift has been negotiated with the Edkins family over the last twelve months by Riddoch Art Gallery’s Director Lucia Pichler. “One of the Gallery’s roles is to collect and present the work of local artists. The Gallery is delighted to receive this important gift, and looks forward to presenting it to the community in the future” she said.
Ms Pichler continues “One of the many interesting items in the gift is a pencil sketch depicting two men breaking in a horse to saddle, drawn by Miss Edkins when she was nine years old. This work, while of limited monetary value, has huge significance as it demonstrates Miss Edkins’ early artistic ability and life long interest in horses.”
The various artworks have been held by extended Edkins family members for some years. Nephews David Edkins and Tim Edkins said that “gifting these works to the Gallery ensures that Cathleen’s integrity as an artist will be protected”. They are very happy that their aunt’s artistic legacy will be preserved for the future.
There is a second part to this gift, being the proceeds from sale of additional works at Theodore Bruce Auctions in Adelaide, during May 2010. The funds from the sale of these works will go towards the cleaning, reframing and presentation of the Riddoch Art Gallery gift for exhibition after the reopening of the Gallery.
Image: Cathleen EDKINS, Children Playing in the Stream