Sydney Long
Clifton Gardens, 1905
The Mosman Art Collection is a historically important and unique collection of paintings and works on paper which have been collected since Mosman Council's commencement in 1897. The collection is home to some of Australia's most treasured Australian Impressionist, modernist and contemporary artworks by Grace Cossington-Smith, Margaret Olley and Tracey Moffatt, to name a few.
The collection's primary focus is Australian painting, and the core of the collection has been formed through the annual, acquisitive Mosman Art Prize established in 1947. Over time, the Prize has developed to become Australia's most prestigious municipally funded art prize with a national profile, and the resulting collection of modern and contemporary paintings reflects developments in Australian art practices since 1947.
In 2011, the Australian philanthropist Neil Balnaves AO made a major donation of Australian Impressionist and modernist artworks to the Gallery. This significant collection of historical paintings, known as The Balnaves Gift, focuses on Mosman's strong artistic heritage including works by iconic Australian artists such as Arthur Streeton, Conrad Martens, Henry Fullwood, Elioth Gruner, Sydney Long, Margaret Preston, Ethel Carrick Fox and many more.
The collection also includes the painting series ATTACK by Ken Done which were commissioned by Mosman Art Gallery in 2012 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour.
Mosman Art Gallery is currently undergoing a major collection conservation project with our partners International Conservation Services. This significant project has been supported through our Hunters & Collectors fundraising campaign and Creative Partnerships Australia through Plus1. Please visit the Hunters & Collectors page for more information about this campaign.