It’s hard to believe, but the City has now been collecting artworks for more than 50 years. Tracy Cooper-Lavery, Director, Gallery and Visual Arts gave us an insight into the collection:

‘Such was the optimism and entrepreneurial spirit of the Gold Coast that the city began collecting contemporary art in 1968, long before the idea of a gallery was established. This art collection would become the cultural marker of our cosmopolitan city, where the opportunity to view works of hard edge abstraction was on par with a leisurely trip to the beach. The Gold Coast Art Prize became the nucleus of our enviable collection, one which has since grown to celebrate the diversity, innovation and transformation of Australian art since 1968.’

With an extensive collection that features more than 4500 works, there was much conversation, viewing, research – and the occasional debate – involved in choosing the works for inclusion.

Specialist writers were then commissioned to discuss each work, and the result is a beautiful exploration of works from artists including Tony Albert, Daniel Boyd, Anna Carey, Sally Gabori, Gordon Hookey, John Gollings, Ben Quilty, Michael Zavros and many more.

Published through the generous support of the City of Gold Coast and the Gordon Darling Foundation, HOTA Collects contains in depth essays and insights into more than 130 key works in the collection. Available for sale in the HOTA Shop, be sure to pick up a copy when you visit!