All projects

Newcastle Art Gallery Conservation

Overview

Newcastle Art Gallery is one of Australia’s most respected regional galleries and has been at the heart of the city’s rich arts and cultural history for more than 68 years.

The Newcastle Art Gallery, founded in 1945 with just 123 works of art, is now known for its strong collection of Australian art (colonial to contemporary), alongside significant works on paper, photography, ceramics, sculpture and international pieces.

In 2022, a $40 million expansion began at the gallery, with ICS playing a leading role in the conservation of the collection during the extensive redevelopment and construction of the new gallery wing.

Starting in May 2024 and continuing until the gallery reopened on 26 February 2026, the ICS Sydney and Melbourne teams worked collaboratively to conserve over 300 artworks, ranging from paintings and works on paper to textiles. ICS conservators also worked on-site in Newcastle over a number of periods during this significant project.

‍

Year

2024-2026

Client

Newcastle Art Gallery

Services

Painting Conservation
Paper Conservation
Art Objects

Awards

Condition

Challenges

The collection is varied and extensive, and over 7,000 artworks needed to be assessed.
The works requiring conservation treatment were shared between two Australian states – ICS labs in Sydney and Melbourne.

Treatment

Project activities

In 2024 the Newcastle Art Gallery moved its collection to storage facilities in Sydney and Melbourne. During this period ICS conservators developed condition reports for the artworks, creating priority grids for future conservation work.
Conservation plans were provided for artwork considered high need. After approval, the works were allocated to the main labs in Melbourne and Sydney.
Eden Christian, Senior Conservator & Team Leader, Fine Arts, Melbourne and Alis Jitarescu, Principal Conservator Paintings & Decorative Arts, Sydney, were assigned as project leads for the respective sites.
From 2024 through to the Gallery’s official reopening in 2026, over 300 artworks were treated by ICS to museum quality standards.
Each treatment was discussed in detail with the Newcastle Art Gallery Curatorial team to understand the artworks in their historical context. This allowed each artwork to be presented in the state intended by the artist, including varnish and frame type.
The processes for transportation, unpacking, preliminary documentation and allocation of artwork according to media were thoroughly documented, adhering to the regulation standards of the AICCM, Burra Charter and general museum protocols.

Outcomes

The reimagined Newcastle Art Gallery officially reopened to the public on Saturday 28 February 2026, following a major expansion making it the largest public art institution in NSW outside Sydney.

Alis Jitarescu, Principal Conservator Paintings & Decorative Arts, and Francesca Elia, Paintings Conservator, attended the official reopening, which attracted more than 18,000 visitors across a three-day program of celebrations.

Being a part of the Newcastle Art Gallery’s transformation has been a pleasure for all involved.

Videos:

Newcastle Art Gallery Conservation Project

Eden Christian, Senior Conservator & Team Leader, Fine Arts, talks us through a painting tear repair: https://tinyurl.com/5petsnc5
Adam Godijn, Director, Fine Arts, offers a behind the scene glimpse at the Newcastle Art Gallery conservation project: https://tinyurl.com/5537p9by
Alis Jitarescu, Principal Conservator Paintings & Decorative Arts, talks us through the interesting conservation of a Grace Crowley painting in the Newcastle Art Gallery Collection: https://tinyurl.com/575vrxna

‍