Showing at GOMA until June 25, 2023, Courage and Beauty displays a beautiful bevy of works generously gifted by Queensland art collector and philanthropist James C. Sourris AM. James’ benefaction to the gallery began all the way back in 1999 when he donated 21 moving-image works by prominent Australian and international artists. Following this, his focus shifted to Australian contemporary artists across all media. Courage and Beauty is a sequel to a 2011 GOMA exhibition, which celebrated ten years of contemporary art that James had collected and gifted to the gallery. This follow-up exhibition will showcase works gifted and supported in the subsequent decade, with many never having been publicly exhibited until now.

The exhibition has been curated in three strands — transcendental, symbolic and elemental – and is jam-packed with a treasure trove of major works by contemporary Australian artists. Art lovers will be able to see eye-catching pieces from the likes of Vernon Ah Kee, Richard Bell, Gordon Bennett, Vivienne Binns, Jon Cattapan, Peter Cripps, Bonita Ely, d harding, Robert Hunter, Peter Kennedy, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Ross Manning, Rosslynd Piggott and Judy Watson. Highlights include Jon Cattapan’s ‘The Bowl’ (2018), Vernon Ah Kee’s ‘brutalities’ (2014) and Judy Watson’s ‘wanami’ (2019), which are among the many works on display created by artists who show great courage in their creations.

To learn more about Courage and Beauty, head to the QAGOMA website.

This article was written by Sara Weckerle from The Weekend Edition.