Gallery opening times:

1pm - 4 pm Sunday

10 am - 4 pm Tuesday, Saturday and holidays.

Closed Mondays, Good Friday and Christmas

In March 1994 the Gallery moved to its new complex at 531 Ruthven Street Toowoomba. This purpose built art gallery facility has turned the dreams of the Gallery's founders over fifty years ago into reality. State of the art climatic and lighting conditions and security and fire protection systems provide a high quality environment for display, storage and care of Toowoomba's fine collections. Not only does the new complex contain superb technical facilities but the building itself is a work of art with immense aesthetic appeal. The white ground floor gallery spaces are large, open and 'crisp' areas aptly suitable for contemporary touring, local and City Collection artworks. On the first floor the exhibition mood changes dramatically in the red and green Victorian decor of the historic collections' galleries and the library. Here artworks selected from the Lionel Lindsay Art Collection, the Bolton Library and the Fred and Lucy Gould Art Collection are shown.

An atrium space offers wonderful lighting effects, comfortable seating areas for relaxation, reading and study and views of the surrounding Gallery gardens. The meeting room is a valuable community asset as it provides space for use by art groups and other organisations.

With the diversity and versatility of these galleries and the collections and artworks they house the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery is able to present exhibitions that have wide public appeal.

The dream of a city art gallery began with the founding of the Toowoomba Art Society in 1925. The Society aimed to provide "an art 'place' in Toowoomba so as to bring the general community closer to the arts and offer support and encouragement for artists within the community". Early in 1938 this was achieved with the establishment of the Toowoomba Gallery in a large room added to the City Hall for housing pictures. The Council of the day, local Progress Associations and the community all strongly supported the project. A public meeting elected the inaugural Trustees of the Gallery who were responsible for its administration and purchasing new artworks.

Change came in 1947 when the first Gallery constitution was drawn up. The Trustees became legally responsible for the Gallery and its property while management and operations were entrusted to the Art Society. The mainstay of the Gallery, the City Collection, grew over the years with donations and acquisitions and through the Art Society's assistance.

The Gallery's holdings of artworks and its prestige were considerably enhanced with the donation of the substantial art collection of Fred and Lucy Gould in 1950. The Toowoomba City Council became the legal curator of this Collection and from this point its involvement in the Gallery increased markedly. With the Trustees' approval the Council provided space for the display of the Gould Collection and employed a permanent attendant to supervise the Gallery during newly established and regular opening hours.

The history of the Gallery began a new chapter with the constitution of the Toowoomba Art Gallery Society in 1986. The Society's objectives were to "induce the Council and the Trustees to upgrade and improve the Gallery and its facilities" and to "assist...in (its) management and operation". As a result the Council assumed ownership of the Gallery's contents and responsibility for its management and collections. The old system of trusteeship was disbanded and an Art Gallery Advisory Committee was established. The Gallery's hours were extended and a manager was appointed.

Currently the Gallery holds significant collections of historic European and Oriental artworks and contemprary Australian art and craft and in the near future will boast major collections of Australian pictures and literary works.

The Toowoomba City Collection consists of almost three hundred items of which the majority are contemporary Australian works with some historical works from the United Kingdom and Europe. The Collection contains both oil and watercolour paintings, photographs, prints, ceramics, small sculptures and contemporary Australian jewellery.

Artists represented in the Collection who have worked in the Toowoomba area include Kenneth MacQueen, Sam Fullbrook, Herbert Carstens and Douglas Annand. Those who have worked in Queensland include Godfrey Rivers, Ellis Rowan, Melville Haysom, Lawrence Daws, Margaret Olley, Daphne Mayo, Lloyd Rees, William Bustard, Vida Lahey and Leonard Shillam as well as other well known Australian artists such as Robert Dickerson, John Coburn, Lionel Lindsay, Ronald Wakelin and Arthur Boyd.

Since the first recorded donation in 1900 works have been added to the Collection by purchase, grant funding and donation while many are prize winners from locally conducted awards. In past years prominent citizens, the Gallery Trustees and the Toowoomba Art Society have been the principal benefactors of the Collection.

This magnificant private collection of artworks was donated to the Gallery in 1950. The Goulds were great lovers of art but little is known of their lives apart from their passion for art. The collection of over three hundred works includes paintings, drawings, prints, porcelain, antique furniture, bronzes, glassware, gold and silverware and various ivory pieces.

These two fine collections were assembled by Toowoomba resident, the late Mr William Bolton MBE, and were first presented on public display as the Lionel Lindsay Art Gallery and Library in 1952. Named in honour of Sir Lionel Lindsay, the Gallery was opened by the then Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, both of whom were close friends of Mr Bolton.

The Lionel Lindsay Art Collection consists of over four hundred Australian art works of great importance, including works by Lionel and Norman Lindsay, McCubbin, Streeton, Bunny, Phillips Fox, Lambert, Ashton, Mather and Martens.

The Bolton Library comprises maps, charts and journals of Captain Cook's voyages and French and Dutch maritime explorations. It also contains rare books, letters and manuscripts relating to the early settlement of Australia. The Library is of exceptional significance as a collection of works relevant to Australian history.

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