Art Gallery exhibition closes early

Media release

The touring exhibition from the National Gallery of Australia, The National Picture: the Art of Tasmania's Black War which has been on display at the Queen Victoria Art Gallery since 24 November has closed earlier than expected due to a minor leak detected in the building following recent heavy rainfall.

City of Launceston Cultural Services and Creative Arts director Tracy Puklowski said the significant rainfall event on Tuesday has resulted in some areas of the Art Gallery experiencing some minor water leakage in limited areas of the exhibition area.

Ms Puklowski said staff at the Art Gallery had taken timely, preventative measures to minimise any impact on key aspects of the gallery's collection.

"Thankfully, due to the actions of our staff, there was no impact on any pieces in our collections but with more rain forecast this week, it's a simply case of taking absolutely no chances in terms of potential water damage to any of those collections," Ms Puklowski said.

Ms Puklowski said that due to access required for preventative maintenance on the facility, the exhibition in gallery four has closed six days earlier than planned.

"While this is unfortunate, The National Gallery of Australia has been informed of QVMAG's actions and are in full support of this decision," Ms Puklowski said.

The Council's Facilities Management Directorate is currently undertaking an assessment of the building and will be making further recommendations in due course.