Visitors Book

'Mary Anne and Richard,
Thanks for the great three days we've spent in your house. We've really enjoyed Ballarat and have been very comfortable. Modern Masterpieces: wonderful! Sovereign Hill: fantastic! Botanical Gardens and Lake: just beautiful! Craigs Hotel High Tea: standout! You live in a lovely area which we intend to return to soon.'

'Toasty warm,cosy and welcoming. A haven. Thank you for all your thoughtful touches and good coffee.'
 
'Had a wonderful time. Loved the peace and quiet. We were never disturbed and after just two days feel recharged. Fantastic.'
 
'We loved the warm,cosy peaceful B & B. The bed was too comfortable to leave.
 Very highly recommended.   Thank you for a rewarding experience in Ballarat.'
 
'Beautiful little hideaway from the outside world.Who thought it would be possible
to relax with a two year old. Yummy soft bed. Thank you so much-we will be back.'
 
'Thank you Mary Anne and Richard-our second stay here-just as lovely as the first.'
 
'All too brief but a beautiful stay.  Charming attention to detail. A luxury step back in time.'
 
'Thank you Mary Anne -we had a lovely time at Silver Birch. Thank you for having the fire on when we arrived. We will recommend to our friends for a lovely overnight escape.'

Australian Modern Masterpieces

Wednesday, 5 October 2011 -Sunday, 27 November 2011, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Potter Gallery
Admission: Adult $12, Concession $8, Child and Student Free

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This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see 60 of the most important 20^th century Australian paintings including 40 works from collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It provides a unique insight into the history of Australian modern art from the 1920s to the 1970s, recognizing the extraordinary ability of Australian artists and the pivotal role they played in capturing the lives and moments of Australians in recent times.

It includes prominent pieces by Margaret Olley, Margaret Preston, Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Grace Cossington Smith, William Dobell, Donald Friend and Sidney Nolan, John Olsen and Brett Whiteley among others.

These works have been carefully chosen from the collection of the AGNSW to enable visitors to explore the work of certain artists in depth, while presenting overall a survey of what was happening in Australian art during a critical 75 year period of our country's history.

To complement the works on tour from Sydney are 20 paintings from the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Ballarat and one further work from the Newcastle Region Art Gallery.
The earliest work in the show was painted by a 23 year old Australian art student in 1915, the year of the military disaster at Gallipoli, considered by many to be the true birth of an Australian sense of nationhood.

The exhibition concludes with the work of men and women who were students during or just after the Second World War. Nearly all these artists have passed away within the last 25 years. Jeffrey Smart, Yvonne Audette and John Olsen excluded, the work displayed in this exhibition represents a recently closed chapter in Australian art.