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Australian Library of Art

The Australian Library of Art houses the following arts collections:

James Hardie Library of Australian Fine Arts
Documentation of Australian art, Australian artists' books and Australian private press material.

Lindsay Collection of Pat Corrigan
Printed books and manuscripts relating to the Lindsay family. Many of the books contain annotations and additional material such as letters, photographs and press clippings about one of Australia's best-known arts families.

History and Art of the Book Collection
Rare and fine books that reflect the art, craft, history and impact of the printed book.

The strengths of the Australian Library of Art include:

limited edition Australian art books
Australian private press publications - which are usually products of small print runs featuring a unique element of design, production or content
exhibition catalogues and Australian art ephemera dating from the 19th century to the present
Australian artists' books
books featuring examples of botanical illustration by Australian artists
Australian bookplates
original artworks, blocks and plates used to produce illustrations in Australian art books
printers' mock-ups and publishers dummies

Online Resources

The Johnstone Gallery Archive

The Johnstone Gallery was a commercial art gallery that operated in Brisbane for 22 years during a seminal time in the development of an audience for contemporary art in Australia. It opened in 1950 and closed in 1972. The Johnstone Gallery Archive was donated to the State Library of Queensland in 1994. It is an irreplaceable and immensely valuable resource of art, artists, commercial galleries and Australian social history. The scrapbook collection traces the Johnstones' unique personal and professional interests for the 22 years of the gallery's life and during their retirement, providing a unique snapshot of the concerns and controversies of the times.

The website showcases the Johnstone Gallery Archive, provides a history of the Gallery and its place in the Arts community, and links to detailed indexes.

Len and Kath Shillam papers

In 2003 Queensland sculptor Leonard Shillam donated a collection of papers, catalogues and photographs relating to his life and work, and that of his late wife Kathleen to the State Library. Many of the images of the Shillams and their works have been made available through Picture Queensland. Our web pages provide information about the lives, the work and influence of these Queensland sculptors. The transcript and excerpts of a videotaped interview with Len Shillam shortly before his death in September 2005 are also available.

Artists' books online

The State Library has digitised pages from a selection of the artists' books in our collection. Artists' books online has provided a great opportunity for us to showcase our artists’ book collection, recognised as one of the best in Australia. Both Australian and overseas artists’ books from the Australian Library of Art which incorporates both the James Hardie Library of Australian Fine Arts and the History and Art of the Book Collection are featured.

Detailed information about the Australian Library of Art’s Collection can be found in our Collection Development Policy Chapter 4 - Heritage Collections [new window 237 kb].