Hamilton Gallery

The Hamilton Gallery has temporarily closed its doors for a short period of time from Monday 1 March – Tuesday 6 June 2021 to allow for the Brown Street complex lift installation. Throughout the closure, the team at the Gallery will be working behind the scenes on a number of projects – so keep an eye out for updates

The Hamilton Gallery is a treasure collection whose pieces can be traced back over 50 years, making this a delightful space for art lovers in Hamilton.

With a diverse collection and numerous events held throughout the year, Hamilton Gallery is a great place to visit during your stay in the Grampians.

The Gallery is managed by the Shire of Southern Grampians and is one of the most outstanding cultural icons in the region. With more than 8,000 works of art, there is so much more to see than can be captured in a short visit. This collection features works of art in the areas of furniture, Oriental art, ceramics and metalwork.

Herbert and May Shaw of Kiama near Hamilton collected over 800 items of English and European glass, silver and porcelain on their own from 1957. The bequest from the Shaws was the basis of the creation of the Hamilton Art Gallery.

Later, the Gallery developed further and now has a huge number of artworks including glass, silver, oriental ceramic, porcelain, furniture, prints and paintings. The Gallery also contains a rare collection of eighteenth-century paintings of Paul Sandby who is known as ‘The Father of English Watercolour’.

The Gallery contains most of the major regional artworks within Victoria. It holds many Australian paintings including colonial art of the Western District by Thomas Clark, Louis Buvelot, ‘Wannon Falls‘, ‘Muntham’ and Nicholas Chevalier. The Gallery also holds the paintings of modern artists like Arthur Boyd, John Olsen, Justin O’ Brien, Sidney Nolan, Howard Arkley, Tim Maguire, Tim Storrier and Kathleen Petyarre.

Apart from the regional collections, the Hamilton Art Gallery also has a number of European paintings, Korean decorative art as well as Chinese and Japanese fine art. Hamilton is a cultural and educational centre within the Grampians region, therefore the Gallery’s collection acts as an excellent resource for students of art and history.

One of the aims of the Hamilton Gallery is to encourage creativity while appreciating the efforts made by stakeholders in the field. This is mainly achieved by offering educational programs that encourage the community to be involved in learning and preserving art.

Tours are offered around the gallery, as well as workshop programs, talks and art films. It is important to mention that the whole the guided tours are free for schools and community groups, prior booking must be made. A small fee may be charged for these programs. Otherwise, general entry is free.