Jan Murphy Gallery

It’s not easy being an art gallery in Brisbane. We unfortunately don’t seem to buy enough art which is a real shame as there are some amazing local artists here.
What that translates to is a fairly transient gallery scene. It takes a real gem to survive for any substantial amount of time — and one of those gems is Jan Murphy.
Her gallery has been in it’s Brunswick St location since the early /​mid 90’s and it has survived due to its clever exhibition mix of cutting edge, cool and classic.
No matter what’s on show there’s always something beautiful, something kooky and something thought provoking — so essentially something for everyone.

Occasionally, I’ll take myself on art dates. I take a bus to Brunswick Street and walk from the Valley into New Farm. I get excited as I walk up to the crest that Jan Murphy gallery sits upon.
There are always great exhibitions on here. I have seen traditional types of art here, but for the most part Jan Murphy Gallery is a celebration of contemporary art. Little known Australian artists will find their pieces alongside better known names in the industry. Indigenous artists also feature a lot through the year.
It’s worthwhile going to check out the gallery. The reception given is always warm and the exhibitions are well curated. This should definitely be on the list for well established artists looking to exhibit, and art collectors who are looking for impressive contemporary Australian pieces.

I often stand outside Jan Murphy Gallery, drooling over the latest works on display in the front window. I don’t often go inside, as I generally feel like an uncultured heathen pauper in art galleries, but when I do I love the calm, minimalist feel of the interior. There are often a mix of paintings and sculptures on display and the exhibitions are almost always beautiful, classic works and well out of my price range. Go in, take a look around, salivate a little, enjoy the air-​conditioning.

Like many venues for art, it’s difficult to assess the venue when it’s largely based on the works that take place within. Being a big lover of music, I was fortunate enough to see the Hipgnosis album cover artworks display they had a few months back. I thought the gallery should have been bigger for such a display but it wasn’t a big deal. Everything was well lit and the reception were very accommodating to everyone.
Parking is actually fairly easy at the Gallery, as they have a big space often used for outside gallery productions or for a stages (like at Big Sound). It’s good to see the gallery utilised so well by some globally acclaimed works of art.

I’ve always been met with polite reception at Jan Murphy’s Gallery but none more so than Saturday when a Welsh terrier bounded up to me and demanded a game of fetch. The shop assistant was pretty embarrassed but it didn’t bother me at all. It was the cutest terrier I’d ever seen and I hope they keep it as the gallery mascot.
Well, none of the artwork could compare after such a reception, though it was an interesting exhibition of works by Marina Strocchi. I don’t know very much about indigenous art, but it was clear that she had combined traditional indigenous techniques into a contemporary, urban setting.
Jan Murphy Gallery represent a stylistically varied selection of contemporary Australiana artists including Dean Bowen, Graeme Drendel and Liu Zhuoquan. It’s always a surprise seeing their exhibitions –sometimes it will be traditional Australian landscapes, other times it will be abstract, surreal, pop art, post modern, realism or anything in between. Serious art collectors and art lovers should definitely check out their collection.