Art museum in Leichhardt Street, Kingston ACT
| Established | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1998 |
| Location | 71 Leichhardt Street, Kingston ACT |
| Coordinates | 35°19′15″S 149°08′48″E / 35.3209159°S 149.1466728°E / -35.3209159; 149.1466728 |
| Type | Art museum |
| Founder | Helen Maxwell |
The australian Girls Own Gallery (aGOG) was a commercial art gallery that operated in Leichhardt Street, Kingston in Canberra from 1989 to 1998. The gallery was owned and operated by former National Gallery of Australia curator Helen Maxwell, and exhibited the work of women artists almost exclusively.
History
The gallery opened in 1989. The first exhibition at aGOG was Les femmes formidables 1 which ran from 16 March – 19 April 1989 and featured the work of five female artists: Banduk Marika, Barbara Hanrahan, Joyce Allen, Lidia Groblicka and Kate Lohse. Art historian and art critic Sasha Grishin noted that the represented artists "from an important cross-section of contemporary women printmakers in Australia".
aGOG would exhibit several group and solo shows each year. Represented artists included: Vivienne Binns, Pam Debenham, Judy Horacek, Marie McMahon, Patsy Payne, Mitzi Shearer, Ruth Waller, and Judy Watson.
In 1992 and 1995, solo exhibitions of the work of Yolngu artist Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu were shown. aGog closed in 1998.
Significance
The gallery was significant because it only represented women artists (although towards the end of its operations the work of men would be very rarely exhibited). Maxwell started the gallery because she felt as that there was a bias against women artists within the art world and she "felt strongly that women didn't get enough of a voice".
Helen Maxwell Gallery
Maxwell went on to open the Helen Maxwell Gallery in Braddon, Canberra, in March 2000. This gallery represented both male and female artists until its closure in January 2010. Tony Coleing, Judy Horacek, Barbie Kjar, Banduk Marika, Patsy Payne and Robin White, and Vera Zulumovski were just some of the artists exhibited in at least 178 exhibitions held there.
Exhibitions mounted by this gallery included:
- 2001: Vital Fluids, a multi-artist exhibition including the work of England Bangala, Banduk Marika, Judy Watson, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Robin White, Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu, and Barrupu Yunupingu
- 2003: Groundswell: An exhibition of Aboriginal art, a multi-artist exhibition at the Helen Maxwell Gallery
References
- ^ Newton, Gael. "Introduction to Self-Portrait/Self-Image (1980)". photo-web. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- "Fringe festival program". The Canberra Times. Vol. 63, no. 19, 512. 11 March 1989. p. 14 – via National Library of Australia.
- Sasha Grishin, "'Les Femmes' a Good Start for Girl's Own Gallery", Canberra Times, 29 March 1989
- "Judy Watson". Australian Art Network. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- Angel, Anita (3 February 2011). "(Nancy) Gaymala Yunupingu". Charles Darwin University. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- Alexandra Bellis Alison Dell, "A Place Good for the Spirit", Canberra Times, 5 October 1989, 21.
- "Helen Maxwell Gallery (March 2000 – January 2010)". Australian Prints + Printmaking. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- "Helen Maxwell Gallery · Related artists". Australian Prints + Printmaking. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- "Vital Fluids". Australian Prints + Printmaking. 2 April 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- "Groundswell: An exhibition of Aboriginal art". Australian Prints + Printmaking. 23 November 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
Further reading
- Rendle-Short, Francesca (February 1999). "The Story of Australian Girls Own Gallery [aGOG] and Helen Maxwell". Art Monthly Australia (116): 16–17.