TMAG’s Becoming Modern exhibition is a meeting of modernist culture and art

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) presents Becoming Modern: Mid-century Australian Art, a major new exhibition open from 29 May 2026.

Becoming Modern is a sweeping survey of the emergence of modernism in Australia during the twentieth century.

The exhibition brings together over 100 works across painting, sculpture and works on paper, and explores key movements including figuration and abstraction as well as foregrounding the works of Tasmanian women artists.

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Director, Mary Mulcahy, said the exhibition provided an opportunity to see works from iconic Australian artists – including Brett Whiteley, Clarice Beckett, Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, and John Olsen – alongside lesser-known works, many of which are being exhibited for the first time.

“We are excited to present Becoming Modern, a visually striking exhibition featuring a beautifully nuanced curation of artworks that explore key movements and stories in the emergence of modernism in Australia that will resonate strongly with audiences,” Ms Mulcahy said.

“Drawing primarily from the State Collection, Becoming Modern also highlights the Collection’s significance and underscores its important place within the broader context of Australian art.”

Exhibition Curator and Head of Art at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Dr David Ashley Kerr, said the exhibition expanded our understanding of modernism beyond well-known narratives.

“This timely showcase of the Tasmanian State Collection of modernist painting, sculpture and works on paper is one that all Tasmanians should be proud of,” he said.

“These fascinating works resonate today, now more than ever.”

The exhibition also includes an interactive gallery inviting ‘mini modernists’ to create their own masterpieces. 

Becoming Modern is open until 26 September 2027 at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Dunn Place and entry is free. 

Media contact:

Kyla Flanagan,  Senior Communications and Marketing Officer, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery