HAMILTON Gallery is celebrating its 60th anniversary, with a free exhibition and publication titled HG:60. The following is an excerpt from the HG:60 chapter written by Senior Research Curator at MONA, Jane Clark, who unveils some fascinating insights on the gallery’s Australian Art collection and its historical connections to the Western District. We are sharing this interesting chapter in the next few Saturday Hamilton Spectator editions to celebrate the rich contribution our region has made to Hamilton Gallery, and that the gallery has made to the arts sector.

CREATING a brand-new collection of Australian art for Hamilton Gallery was always going to be a challenge in the 1960s.