Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre is located on the New England Highway, three hours’ drive northwest of Sydney and roughly two hours from Newcastle. The town of Muswellbrook lies in the Upper Hunter region among a diverse rural and industrial economy encompassing coal mining, farming, vineyards, energy generation and the equine industry.

Achieving regional gallery status in 1976, the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre is home to the Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection and the Max Watters Collection, both of which were established in the late 1950s.

The Max Watters Collection is regarded as one of the most significant collections of its type in rural Australia and showcases some of the most influential names in Australian contemporary art including John Perceval, Grace Cossington Smith, Ken Whisson, Charles Blackman, Jon Plapp, Danila Vassilieff, Euan Macleod, Imants Tillers and Tony Tuckson.

These works complement the Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection’s numerous examples of other prominent artists acquired through the Muswellbrook Art Prize, including Suzanne Archer, David Aspden, Sydney Ball, Marion Borgelt, Greg Daly, Dale Frank, Guy Grey-Smith, Richard Larter, Margo Lewers, Elwyn Lynn, Bea Maddock, Angus Nivison, Mike Parr and Fred Williams.

AWARDS