Private Lives: The Artist as Collector, S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney

Group Exhibition February 2015 S.H. Ervin Gallery Sydney, Australia (Wendy Sharpe & Bernard Ollis Collection) This is the first exhibition to present the fascinating personal collections of leading contemporary artists including Wendy Sharpe and Bernard Ollis, Michael Kempson, Leo Robba and Adrienne Roberts, Peter Sharp, Euan Macleod, and Henry Mulholland. From mass-produced memorabilia, one-of-a-kind curiosities and rarefied artefacts, these collections provide insight into the inspirations, influences, motives and obsessions of artists. It is not uncommon for artists to conduct ‘swaps’ with their contemporaries as an affordable way of building their own collections and supporting each other, thus this exhibition also highlights some exchanges that have taken place over the years between artists. While some artists are connoisseurs, others accumulate so many objects it is impossible to hang them all. Inspired by the artist collectors such as Picasso, who famously ‘borrowed’ objects from the Louvre, this exhibition allows visitors a glimpse into the private world of the artist and their inspiration.