The ANU art collection, one of the more significant university art collections, has stood the test of time. Photo: Drill Hall Gallery.
University art collections, commonly called Cinderella collections in reference to their status as the poor, neglected and under-resourced relatives of state art collections, are the little-known art treasure troves of Australia.
The ANU art collection is one of the more significant university art collections, with such nationally significant art treasures as Sidney Nolan’s Riverbend and Leonard French’s Seven Days of Creation.
For those outside the university, this is also largely an invisible and inaccessible art collection, with treasures tucked away in a college refectory, displayed within the foyer of a university building, or on the walls of teaching rooms and offices, or scattered throughout the university grounds.
The idea of living with art has always appealed to me, and I firmly believe in the transformative and inspirational power of art. How many students and academics were inspired by Nolan’s Riverbend when it lived as an arching enclave on the ground floor of the Chifley Library?
Once the million-dollar price tags for the artworks were revealed, safety and preservation concerns came to the fore, and the exceptional pieces became increasingly inaccessible. Riverbend now lives permanently in a room of its own in the Drill Hall Gallery.
Ken Whisson, à huis clos (no exit), 1968, oil on board (masonite), Acquired 1974. Photo: Drill Hall Gallery
The ANU Art Collection: Conjunction exhibition is an ambitious attempt to pair some of the treasures in the art collection with more recent acquisitions added to the collection over the past 20 years. In all, there are about 50 artworks on display.
The earlier gems include major works by Ken Whisson, Yvonne Audette, Lenton Parr, Arthur Wicks, and Rover Thomas, all acquired many years ago, as well as early work by David Aspden and Emily Kame Kngwarrey, donated more recently.
While only a tiny fraction of the ANU art collection is on display at this exhibition, the university has generally acquired and commissioned work prudently. In most instances, the works have appreciated many times over.
Yvonne Audette, The walls of Jericho, 1959, oil on board. Acquired 1976. Photo: Drill Hall Gallery
Some of the more recent additions to the collection have yet to stand the test of posterity. It will be for a future generation to decide if Edie Duffy’s beautifully rendered small painting Sealed beam, 2001, acquired in 2025, or Tim Bučković’s Aerial 1, 2022, acquired in 2002, will be viewed in retrospect as outstanding acquisitions.
It is worth noting that many of the recent works on display have been donated to the university collection by the artist or by collectors through the Cultural Gifts Program, which allows art donations to be offset by tax credits.
Edie Duffy, Sealed beam, 2025, oil on linen, Acquired 2025. Photo: Drill Hall Gallery
One of the standout works in the exhibition is Juan Davila’s Self-Portrait (1991), which was donated by the artist in 2003. It is bold, defiant and monumental in scale.
While it has the potential to offend many, most won’t notice it or be able to decode what the work is really about. The Chilean-born Davila, who has been resident in Australia since 1974, has employed humour and eroticism in his art to challenge assumptions widely held in Australian society.
Juan Davila, Self-Portrait?, 1991, oil, enamel, collage on canvas, wooden cut-outs, tiles on a metal frame, Gift of the artist, 2003. Photo: Drill Hall Gallery
The exhibition at the Drill Hall, running to the end of the year, presents a rare opportunity to view some of the usually hidden art gems at the ANU.
While not all of the artworks may be a hit with all viewers, for some, they may prove to be a revelation, confirming the power of art to ennoble the mind and enrich the spirit.
Tim Bučković, Aerial 1, 2022, graphite, charcoal and chalk on butchers paper, Acquired 2022. Photo: Drill Hall Gallery
ANU Art Collection: Conjunction is on display at the ANU Drill Hall Gallery, Kingsley Street, Acton. It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. It closes on 21 December.
