Shoalhaven City Art Collection Receives Major Gift
Published on 07 July 2020
Shoalhaven City Council’s Arts Collection is set to grow with an incredible bequest of work from the Estate of Jim Birkett and his surviving partner Roy Weatherhead.
The passing of Jim Birkett has saddened the arts community and beyond but his love for art and supporting emerging artists lives on through this generous donation of more than 150 pieces of work, the first part of a major gift from the local art icons.
Jim’s tireless enthusiasm for art education and support of artists is renowned across the region. A respected artist himself, Jim Birkett is already represented in the City Art Collection, including a large triptych that conveys his love of Xanthorrhoea plants. The gift to the City includes works by Birkett that trace his creative development and a large number of pieces acquired from Australian and international artists. We are grateful for Roy’s dedication to Jim and to the arts.
This personal collection includes paintings, sculpture and textile works with a focus on contemporary Australian artists and works from South East Asia. As owners of a private gallery in Sydney for many years, Birkett and Weatherhead supported emerging artists – providing artists like Grace Burzese with their first commercial exhibitions.
In making the gift, Roy Weatherhead said, “The Shoalhaven City Art Collection and Shoalhaven Regional Gallery are critically important in ensuring local and emerging artists and all members of the community are able to engage with the visual arts and see the world through artists’ eyes. I am pleased to know that our contribution to this collection will guarantee these works are available to the Shoalhaven community into the future.”
On receiving the collection, which includes works by artists such as Warwick Keen, Margaret Woodward, Grace Burzese, Isabel Davies and Graham Blondel, Mayor Amanda Findley said, “I am saddened by the news of Jim’s passing and I know that Roy will miss him terribly as will many. Both Jim and Roy are much loved members of our community, and this gift to the Shoalhaven is remarkable and continues in the theme of arts development for our region. This gift will further enhance Shoalhaven City Art Collection’s reputation as an outstanding regional collection that surveys contemporary Australian art. As with any bequest the art works come tinged with the sadness of loss but with the excitement of being able to make the work accessible to many for years to come. I am grateful to Jim and Roy for choosing us as the forever home for some of the extraordinary pieces of work in the collection.”
Select works from the gift will be exhibited at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery as part of the exhibition ‘Gifted’ opening Saturday 12 September [and running until 3 October].
Image: Jim Birkett and Roy Weatherhead