The Paul Guest collection

Bendigo : Bendigo Art Gallery, 2019. Quarto, embossed cloth, illustrated endpapers (both reproducing the works of Robert Jacks), pp. 288, extensively illustrated.

Contributions by Doug Hall, Ashley Crawford, Kirsty Grant, John Harry and Jessica Bridgfoot.

‘Celebrating the gift of his collection to Bendigo Art Gallery, this exhibition showcases the extraordinary generosity of the Honourable Paul M Guest OAM Q.C.

Since the late 1960s, Paul Guest has amassed a significant collection of modern and contemporary Australian paintings, drawings and sculpture with a particular focus on abstraction and conceptualism. He is drawn to the ‘tough painting’ that talks to the philosophies and politics of life, and representational works that focus on explorations of humanity. Close relationships with artists have been a defining factor in his approach to collecting, and this exhibition reveals Guest’s passion for art and artists in equal measure.

Guest, who also supports Bendigo Art Gallery through his patronage of the Paul Guest Drawing Prize, demonstrates the transformative possibilities for private collecting and philanthropy in Australia.

The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue of over 300 pages with essays by Ashley Crawford, Kirsty Grant, Doug Hall AM and a biography by John Harry.’ – Bendigo Gallery website