Dr Egmont Schmidt Memorial Collection: A Contemporary Lens

The Dr Egmont Schmidt Memorial Collection is an historically important and culturally valuable collection of artworks by early 20th century painters and printmakers. Acquired by the Bundaberg physician, Dr Egmont Theodore Carl Schmidt (1886-1956) during the first half of the 20th century, the works were formally donated to Bundaberg City Council by his estate trustees in 1956, with the understanding that an art gallery befitting the city would be established and these works would form the nucleus of its collection. Under the custodianship of the Bundaberg Arts Society, of which Dr Schmidt was the inaugural president, the collection was maintained in the School of Arts building until 1995, when the new Bundaberg Arts Centre, now Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, was opened, and the Bundaberg Arts Society generously reverted the care for the collection back to the city.  

Now 100 years after the creation of many of the works in the Dr Egmont Schmidt Collection, Bundaberg Regional Galleries, are inviting the community to respond to the artworks with a contemporary lens. A selection of artworks, including paintings, drawings, prose, poetry, photography and digital media have been chosen to kickstart the conversation, but we invite you - the community - to view the artworks and create your own responses.  

This will be a 'living' exhibition, with responses being added to the space, alongside the historical artworks that comprise the collection.

Image: Henry Hanke, Heidi, Date of Creation Unknown, Oil on Canvas.