The Jim Barr and Mary Barr Collection Gifted to DPAG

We’re delighted to announce that Jim Barr and Mary Barr have gifted their contemporary art collection of over 400 works to Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The gift formalises a relationship that has been in place since 1997, when the collection was first placed on long-term loan in Ōtepoti Dunedin, and secures the future of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant private collections of contemporary art within a public institution.

Jim and Mary began collecting contemporary art in the 1970s, at a time when conceptual and experimental practices in Aotearoa New Zealand were neither closely followed by the market nor widely represented in public collections. Their approach has been shaped by sustained dialogue with artists and a commitment to work that engages critically with new ideas. As a result, the collection captures key developments in contemporary art in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally over the past five decades.

Over the past 30 years, the Barr Collection has played an important role in the Gallery’s programme. Works from the collection have featured in a range of significant exhibitions, including Good Work and Reboot, which toured nationally. More recent exhibitions, such as Light switch and conduit, and On the Table, have continued to draw on the collection, demonstrating its breadth and its capacity to support different curatorial perspectives.

Jim and Mary have also, over many years, gifted individual works from the collection to the Gallery. This new gift consolidates those earlier contributions and ensures that the collection will remain publicly accessible and available for future exhibitions, learning programmes, as well as academic research.

Noho ora mai
Cam McCracken
Director, Dunedin Public Art Gallery