Our Collections

Anita Larkin. The Breath between Us (detail), 2014. Collected objects, leather and felted wool. Purchased with support from the Tamworth Regional Gallery Friends.

OUR COLLECTIONS

The Tamworth Regional Gallery holds significant artworks that capture the essence of textile art and showcase artworks from a collection that is over 100 years old.

The collection is not only significant locally, but on a national level. It comprises artworks from all periods, media and styles, and includes brilliant works that document the change in textile practice over the past 50 years. It also includes iconic landscapes by Hans Heysen, Sydney Long, Eliot Gruner and Elisabeth Cummings as well as stunning early silverware from the Regan Collection, and even contemporary sculpture.

The Tamworth Regional Gallery Collection started with a gift of 100 paintings and works on paper from artist John Salvana in 1919 and was added to in 1961 by the Burdekin bequest, a substantial gift of 19th- and early 20th- century Australian and European works. In 1963 the Lyttleton-Taylor Family donated the Regan Silverware Collection of early Australian silverware.

The Tamworth Textile Collection evolved from the first ‘Tamworth Textile’ exhibitions held in the 1970s to become a nationally significant collection comprising excellent examples of works that document the changes in textile practice over the past 50 years. The collection includes works from some of Australia’s most innovative and acclaimed textile artists, as well as regional artists and craftspeople. Tamworth Regional Gallery is well known for the development of the Tamworth Textile Triennial, which tours nationally.

Discover the Art of Giving and assist in the growth of the gallery’s collection,  visit the

online database

John Salvana Born 1871, died 1956 Landscape Boggabri not dated Oil on wood 200mm x 325mm Gift of John Salvana 1919

Salvana Collection

The John Salvana Collection, gifted in June 1919, contains over 100 paintings and works on paper. This generous gift marked the gallery’s inception. Salvana's dream was to provide a rural centre with an art gallery, so that young children and those with an interest in art might be encouraged to study Australian art and artists and learn from viewing original artworks at first hand.

Lucy Irvine Continuous Interruptions 2011 Irrigation pipe, cable ties, steel and rust-proof paint 1800 x 1100 x 2000d Tamworth Regional Gallery Collection

National Textile Collection

Tamworth Regional Gallery’s association with textile art dates back to the 1970s. The gallery has focused on developing an Australian textile collection that embraces all related art and craft forms. The nationally significant collection comprises excellent examples of works that document the changes in textile practice over the past 40 years.

Harry S. Steiner Emu Egg Dressing Table Necessaire, c.1875 Silver, emu egg and silver gilt 350mm high Donated by Mr and Mrs J.C. Lyttleton Taylor , 1963

Regan Silverware Collection

Containing some of the best-known examples of early Australian silver, this collection was donated by Mr and Mrs J.C. Lyttleton Taylor of Tamworth in 1963. The 12 makers of the 18 pieces are from three states and each silversmith came from a different background, thus balancing wide influences in the style of manufacture in each piece. Significant works by Evan Jones, Christian Ludwig Quist and H.S. Steiner are included.

Attributed to Joseph Mallord William Turner Born 1775 England, died 1851 England Carthage not dated Oil on canvas 610mm x 915mm Bequest of Mr N.W. & Mrs M.E. Burdekin 1961

The Burdekin Bequest

In 1961 the Burdekin Bequest, a substantial collection of 19th- and early 20th-century Australian and European work, was left to the people of the Tamworth region by Margaretta Emilie Burdekin of ‘Plumthorpe’, Barraba, upon her death in 1958, and by her husband, Norman Weekes Burdekin, who had predeceased her in 1947. This collection includes excellent examples of Australian landscapes.

Kate Campbell-Pope Guitar, 1999 Plant fibre, wire and linen thread Dimensions variable Tamworth Regional Gallery Collection

Country Music Collection

Each year, Tamworth famously hosts the largest country music festival in the southern hemisphere. For ten days in January, the city becomes the hub for Australian country music as fans descend en masse with guitars strapped to their backs.Many of the artworks in this collection provide not only aesthetic benefits but also social significance through their meaningful relationship with the Tamworth region and connection to country music.