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Bett Gallery

@bettgallery

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Celebrating 40 years of exhibiting contemporary art in lutruwita/Tasmania

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Opening tomorrow: Jane Burton
Nightwood

16 October - 7 November 2026
Opening Friday 16 October, 5:30 - 7pm
@janeburton

In her series ‘Nightwood’, Jane Burton draws on the title of Djuna Barnes’ 1936 novel, echoing also its atmospheric temperament. The book explores women who resist being read, or fixed in time and place. Characters are described as illegible and unpossessable. A woman’s presence stirs something ancestral and pre-human in whoever looks at her.

Burton’s prepossessing subject similarly appears unfixed. Photographed in a dimly lit interior, her skin emerges from, then dissolves back into, deep shadow, merging with the surrounding furniture and drapery. Across the series, her face is shown mostly veiled or turned away. The room setting seems both sumptuous and bleak, slightly imperfect, photographed at angles and hard to place historically. Furnishings are cut off at the image’s edge, alluding to rooms and unknown activities beyond.

...A derelict farmhouse of weathered wood sits in a valley pooling with mist. As distant hills encircle, the mist seems to rise up, drawn to the hushed dwelling. Is this the place where the woman (or women) of Nightwood might reside? Or does it too signal that spatial anomaly of the mind, a place of unlimited fantasy, of memories and imagination? In other images, the bones of dead gum trees appear in stark relief against bleached sky, yellowing grass and inert opaline water. These gnarled, reaching remains stand as monuments to their own once-verdant life-force.

– Excerpt from exhibition essay by Mimi Kelly

Image: Nightwood 3 2026
pigment print
75 x 75 cm (image size)
edition of 5 plus 1 artist’s proof
(BG11639)

#janeburton #bettgallery by @bettgallery

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3 days ago

Opening Friday! Nicole O'Loughlin
Nature/Nurture

16 October - 7 November 2026
Opening night, Friday 16 October, 5:30 - 7pm

@nicoleoloughlinartist

Despite the diverse ways artists have, and continue, to work with fibre, textile work has historically been considered a lesser art, often dismissed as domestic, decorative, craft or, even worse, women’s work. Nicole O’Loughlin takes these traditions, “that act of care that women do with needlework”, and uses them to challenge these notions, creating rich, labour-intensive, textural responses to the world around her.

“I love appreciating something that is beautiful…even if it is dealing with some issues that are a bit more complex, and push past that beauty.”

In her upcoming exhibition Nature/Nurture, O’Loughlin explores her personal connection to the landscape as a woman and caretaker of her home and studio, and of the living world that surrounds it. She muses on the threat of bird flu as she considers her relationship with the birds and animals that flourish among the creeks and grasses. Through embroidered portraits, she depicts trees with an awareness that their existence has become increasingly fragile and unpredictable. The works themselves are devoid of the traditional substrate of cloth, held together and seemingly floating by thread.

Despite the climate anxiety that underpins these topical works, O’Loughlin threads her familiar irony and humour through each piece, marrying weighty ideas with ornate and carefully chosen materials and techniques. As she describes it, she is always “subverting that traditional kind of craft into contemporary culture”.

Image: Within the Valley, 2026
mixed media on board
6 panels: 81 x 120.5 cm (overall board size)
(BG11645)

Portrait photo by Nina Hamilton @nina.hamilton.photo
Artwork image: @jack.bett

#nicoleoloughlin #bettgallery by @bettgallery

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5 days ago

Nicole O'Loughlin
Nature/Nurture

16 October - 7 November 2026
@nicoleoloughlinartist

Despite the diverse ways artists have, and continue, to work with fibre, textile work has historically been considered a lesser art, often dismissed as domestic, decorative, craft or, even worse, women’s work. Nicole O’Loughlin takes these traditions, “that act of care that women do with needlework”, and uses them to challenge these notions, creating rich, labour-intensive, textural responses to the world around her.

“I love appreciating something that is beautiful…even if it is dealing with some issues that are a bit more complex, and push past that beauty.”

In her upcoming exhibition Nature/Nurture, O’Loughlin explores her personal connection to the landscape as a woman and caretaker of her home and studio, and of the living world that surrounds it. She muses on the threat of bird flu as she considers her relationship with the birds and animals that flourish among the creeks and grasses. Through embroidered portraits, she depicts trees with an awareness that their existence has become increasingly fragile and unpredictable. The works themselves are devoid of the traditional substrate of cloth, held together and seemingly floating by thread.

Despite the climate anxiety that underpins these topical works, O’Loughlin threads her familiar irony and humour through each piece, marrying weighty ideas with ornate and carefully chosen materials and techniques. As she describes it, she is always “subverting that traditional kind of craft into contemporary culture”.

Image: Portrait of a Blue Ash, 2026
embroidered cotton and wool, framed
62 x 47 cm (frame size)

Studio images by Peter Maarseveen

#nicoleoloughlin #bettgallery by @bettgallery

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8 days ago

Work in progress
•
This large work will be included in my upcoming debut solo exhibition with @bettgallery Hobart!
•
Really looking forward to this show!
•
More details soon.
•
#michaelhardingoilpaints #artist #landscape #soloexhibition #landscapeart by @bettgallery

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16 days ago

More moments from a memorable night.
As we continue reflecting on our 40 Year Celebration, we’re delighted to share a few more photographs from the evening.
These images capture so much of what Bett Gallery is about: meaningful conversations, enduring friendships, a passion for Australian art, and the wonderful community of artists and collectors who have supported the gallery across four decades.
Thank you once again to everyone who helped make the evening so memorable. We feel incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such a generous and passionate community.
❤️
#BettGallery #BettGallery40Years #ContemporaryArt #AustralianArt #Tasmania ArtCollectors HobartArt Celebrating40Years taken in Bett Gallery Hobart by @bettgallery

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18 days ago

Thank You for Celebrating 40 Years with Us

What an extraordinary evening.

Last Friday, we were delighted to welcome artists, collectors and friends to celebrate 40 years of Bett Gallery. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us and helped make the occasion so memorable. Thanks to Emily Wolfe and band for the incredible tunes and to David Hockney for his special appearance. Also to Rosemary Hollow and David Keeling for their thoughtful words. Special thanks to the clients and artists who traveled from interstate to be here on the evening.

As we reflect on 40 years of championing contemporary Australian art, we also look forward with excitement and optimism to the future.

Carol, Emma, Jack , Sarah, Sabina and Alice ❤️

Photos by Richard Harmey.

#BettGallery #BettGallery40Years #ContemporaryArt #AustralianArt #Tasmania ArtCollectors HobartArt Celebrating40Years taken in Bett Gallery Hobart by @bettgallery

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22 days ago

Thank You for Celebrating 40 Years with Us

What an extraordinary evening.

Last Friday, we were delighted to welcome artists, collectors and friends to celebrate 40 years of Bett Gallery. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us and helped make the occasion so memorable.

As we reflect on 40 years of championing contemporary Australian art, we also look forward with excitement and optimism to the future.

Carol, Emma, Jack , Sarah, Sabina and Alice ❤️

Image: Group photo of Bett Gallery artists, staff and family. Photo by Richard Harmey.

#BettGallery #BettGallery40Years #ContemporaryArt #AustralianArt #Tasmania #ArtCollectors #HobartArt #Celebrating40Years by @bettgallery

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23 days ago

Celebrating 40 Years of Bett Gallery also means celebrating the incredible community of collectors who have supported us every step of the way.

Over the past four decades, Bett Gallery Art Collecting Groups have helped foster a culture of collecting built on friendship, trust, curiosity and a shared passion for living with art.

A heartfelt thank you to every member who has been part of this journey. Your enthusiasm and commitment have supported generations of artists while bringing remarkable works of art into homes and collections across Australia.

Since 1986, Bett Gallery has:
Started and managed 21 Art Collecting Groups
Introduced more than 1,000 members to art collecting
Facilitated the collection of over 1,800 artworks

We are deeply grateful to all past and present members of the Derwent, Tamar, Yarra, Hunter, Flinders, Nibberluna, Derwent 2, Esk, Big River, Acacia, Kurilpa, Art Stream, Island, Maatsuyker, Port Philip, Valley, Palette and Artemisia Collections, Salon, Tier, Red Dot and the many friendships formed through them.

Thank you for being such an important part of the Bett Gallery story.

Bett Gallery 40 Year Celebration
19 September – 10 October 2026
Group Exhibition | 63 Bett Gallery Artists

#bettgallery #ArtCollecting #AustralianArt #CollectingArt #TasmanianArt by @bettgallery

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24 days ago

Last Thursday, as part of our 40 Year Celebration, we had the privilege of hosting a special dinner at the gallery with ten of our Foundation Artists, staff and special guests, whose creativity, generosity, and commitment have helped shape Bett Gallery's story over four decades.

It was a wonderful evening spent reflecting on shared memories, achievements, and enduring friendships with Barbie Kjar, Tim Burns, Raymond Arnold, David Keeling, Helen Wright, David Stephenson, Anne MacDonald, Irene Briant, Kevin Perkins, and Philip Wolfhagen.

These artists have each played an important role in the gallery's journey, and we are deeply grateful for their contribution to our history and to the rich cultural landscape of Tasmania and Australia.

Thank you for being part of our story. Here's to celebrating the past 40 years and looking forward to the future together.

#BettGallery #40YearsOfBettGallery #AustralianArt #TasmanianArt #FoundationArtists #ArtCommunity #Celebrating40Years by @bettgallery

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25 days ago

Last night we toasted 40 years of @bettgallery — they they are pretty extraordinary.

Since 1986: 5 gallery locations, 19 art fairs, 20 contemporary art auctions, 21 art collecting groups, 44 collaborative projects, 730 artists exhibited and 727 exhibitions staged locally, nationally and internationally.

But I think the loveliest number might be the 1,000+ people who have been part of their collecting groups, purchasing more than 1,800 artworks along the way and becoming mates. Some for 40 years & filling their houses with Tasmanian art.

And last night you could really feel it in the room — decades of artists, collectors, friendships - all overlapping

Loved it all. Such a creative family created - Happiest of Birthdays guys.

#bettegallery #hobartgallery #tasmanianartist #hobart taken in Bett Gallery Hobart by @bettgallery

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a month ago

40 Years of Bett Gallery⁣
Open to the public from Saturday, 19 September⁣
Exhibition continues to 10 October 2026⁣
⁣
For four decades Bett Gallery has built something rarer than a reputation for excellence – a culture of collecting in Tasmania founded on friendship, trust and the long relationship between art and audience - Sean Kelly, Art Collector Magazine, July 2026⁣
⁣
In 2026, Bett Gallery marks an extraordinary milestone: 40 years of championing contemporary art in Tasmania and beyond.⁣
⁣
Founded in Hobart in 1986 by Dick and Carol Bett, the gallery’s story is part of a much longer family legacy, reaching back to Elva Bett, a pioneer of New Zealand’s commercial gallery scene in the 1960s. Today, Carol and third-generation gallerists Emma and Jack Bett⁣
proudly continue that tradition, operating one of Australia’s longest-running family-owned, multi-generational art businesses.⁣
⁣
This anniversary exhibition brings together more than 60 works by almost every artist represented by the gallery, with a dedicated space honouring 10 leading artists whose relationship with Bett Gallery spans the full 40 years.⁣
⁣
The exhibition celebrates not only the artists whose creativity has defined the gallery over four decades, but also the relationships that have made Bett Gallery what it is today. It is a celebration of the artists, collectors, supporters and community who have been part of this remarkable journey, while looking ahead to an exciting future.⁣
⁣
Image: Bett Gallery, North Hobart - 2014
⁣
#BettGallery40 #40YearsOfBettGallery⁣
#ContemporaryArt #TasmanianArt #ArtExhibition⁣
#HobartArts #BettGallery⁣ by @bettgallery

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a month ago

40 Years of Bett Gallery
19 September – 10 October 2026

For four decades Bett Gallery has built something rarer than a reputation for excellence – a culture of collecting in Tasmania founded on friendship, trust and the long relationship between art and audience.
Sean Kelly, Art Collector Magazine, July 2026

In 2026, Bett Gallery marks an extraordinary milestone: 40 years of championing contemporary art in Tasmania and beyond.

Founded in Hobart in 1986 by Dick and Carol Bett, the gallery’s story is part of a much longer family legacy, reaching back to Elva Bett, a pioneer of New Zealand’s commercial gallery scene in the 1960s. Today, Carol and third-generation gallerists Emma and Jack Bett proudly continue that tradition, operating one of Australia’s longest-running family-owned, multi-generational art businesses.

This anniversary exhibition brings together more than 60 works by almost every artist represented by the gallery, with a dedicated space honouring 10 leading artists whose relationship with Bett Gallery spans the full 40 years.

The exhibition celebrates not only the artists whose creativity has defined the gallery over four decades, but also the relationships that have made Bett Gallery what it is today. It is a celebration of the artists, collectors, supporters and community who have been part of this remarkable journey, while looking ahead to an exciting future.

40 Years. Three Generations. One enduring commitment to artists.

#BettGallery40 #40YearsOfBettGallery #ContemporaryArt #TasmanianArt #ArtExhibition #HobartArts #BettGallery by @bettgallery

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a month ago