Patricia Piccinini completes her Skywhale family with major new commission

The NGA has announced its acquisition of Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale alongside a new commission, Skywhalepapa, to be unveiled in March 2020.

Director of the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) Nick Mitzevich, described Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhale (2013) as the second most talked about artwork in Australia. It will join the NGA collection alongside what Mitzevich says is the ‘most talked about’ piece of artwork, Jackson Pollack’s Blue Poles.

Yesterday, Mitzevich formally announced Skywhale had been acquired by the national collection. The announcement was followed with equally exciting news. The iconic sculpture-come-hot air balloon is set to expand its family through a new commission.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina