Celebrating 40 years of Wangaratta Art Gallery with Art Auction
Published on 09 October 2026
Wangaratta Art Gallery Friends will host an exclusive cocktail Art Auction and Fundraiser at the Wangaratta Turf Club on Saturday 7 November from 4-7pm, to celebrate and raise funds for the 40th anniversary of Wangaratta Art Gallery in 2027.
An exceptional array of local and interstate artists have donated an assortment of works to the cause. Ticketholders can bid on these stunning pieces prior to the function, with an exciting live auction to be conducted on the evening of the event.
The works on offer vary in style and size, catering to all tastes, from unique wearable items to striking canvases. Featured artists include Kate Vassallo, whose meticulously layered abstract drawings and paintings have been exhibited nationally; James Lieutenant, a Canberra-based painter known for his conceptually rigorous explorations of colour and abstraction; Therese Shanley, the acclaimed Beechworth artist celebrated for her evocative paintings and prints inspired by memory, family and everyday life; Juanita McLauchlan, a leading Gamilaraay artist whose textile and print-based practice explores identity, family and connection to Country; Fran O'Neill, the internationally recognised Wangaratta-born abstract painter whose luminous large-scale works have been exhibited across Australia and New York; and Andy Pye(pictured), one of north-east Victoria's most distinctive landscape painters, renowned for his expressive depictions of the Australian bush.
Proceeds will go towards the production of Collected Threads, a limited-edition publication marking 40 years of the Gallery by spotlighting major works from the institution’s permanent collection.
As a physical record of this milestone, Collected Threads will give particular emphasis to the pivotal role that the Gallery has played in nurturing contemporary Australian textile art over the past four decades. Funds will also contribute to future acquisitions, enabling bidders to invest directly in the evolution of this nationally significant collection.
Tickets are $95 and include the thrilling countdown to the Art Auction winners, full canapé service, a welcome drink on arrival, and additional drinks at subsidised prices.
Tickets can be booked now for this unmissable Art Auction and Fundraiser at www.wangarattaartgallery.com.au
Image 1: Andy Pye, Cockies at full volume, 2025, oil on linen, 100 x 100cm.