Jan Murphy Gallery

Current

Robert Malherbe

Almost the sun

30 September – 24 October 2026

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Upcoming

Richard Lewer

Don't forget to breathe

28 October – 14 November 2026

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Artists

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Robert Malherbe

Robert Malherbe

Richard Lewer

Natasha Bieniek

Natasha Bieniek

Mark Tweedie

Fred Fowler

Guido Maestri

Michael Cook

Keith Burt

Archer Davies

Don't forget to breathe

Upcoming

Richard Lewer

Don't forget to breathe

28 October – 14 November 2026

Register interest

Michael Muir’s survey exhibition ‘The Shape of Colour’ opens at Manly Art Gallery & Museum

News

Michael Muir’s survey exhibition ‘The Shape of Colour’ opens at Manly Art Gallery & Museum

A survey exhibition of Michael Muir’s work, The Shape of Colour, is now open at Manly Art Gallery & Museum. This exhibition celebrates more than a decade of work by Muir, bringing together key works from across his recent career, tracing the development of his distinctive painting practice shaped by...

@JanMurphyGallery

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COMING SOON - Robert Malherbe, ’Almost the sun’

‘Almost the sun’ brings together a new suite of landscapes, still life’s and portraits from the acclaimed artist.

Whether standing ankle-deep in the surf, arranging flowers in the studio or painting from a live model, Malherbe approaches each subject with equal curiosity.

As he puts it, “painting is painting.” Landscape, still life and figure are not separate pursuits so much as different invitations to look. The subject simply provides a starting point.

’Almost the sun’ will be showing in the gallery from 30 September – 24 October.

Please contact the gallery to preview the exhibition.

Image details:

(i) Robert Malherbe, Figure holding hair, 2024, oil on linen, 91.0 x 71.0 cm
(ii) Robert Malherbe, Almost the sun, 2026, oil on linen, 116.0 x 89.0 cm
(iii) Robert Malherbe, Silver still life, oil on canvas, 66.0 x 56.0 cm

@robert_malherbe @janmurphygallery

#robertmalherbe #janmurphygallery #painting #almostthesun

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Another huge congratulations to Natasha Bieniek who has been announced as the winner of the 2026 Portia Geach Memorial Award with her self-portrait, ‘The folding’.

Visitors to S.H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney can see Natasha’s work on display until 1 November, before it comes to Brisbane for her forthcoming solo exhibition, Home, opening at Jan Murphy Gallery on 18 November.

The Portia Geach Memorial Award 2026
S.H. Ervin Gallery
Current until 1 November, 2026

Image credit:
I) Natasha Bieniek, in her studio. Photo courtesy of the artist.
II) Natasha Bieniek, The folding, 2026, oil on wood, 15.0 x 20.0 cm

@natashabieniek @shervingallery @janmurphygallery

#natashabieniek #painting #portraiture #portiageachmemorialaward

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We are excited to announce the major survey exhibition ‘The Shape of Colour’ by Michael Muir opens at Manly Art Gallery & Museum on Friday 25 September.

The exhibition will celebrate more than a decade of work by Muir bringing together key works from across his recent career, tracing the development of his distinctive painting practice shaped by colour, memory, travel and a deep connection to place.

Living on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Muir draws on the coastal environment that shapes him, infusing his work with a sense of place, belonging, and intimacy. His paintings traverse physical and psychological terrains in Australia and beyond, blending abstraction with figuration and geometry with architectural form.

Michael Muir
The shape of colour
Manly Art Gallery and Museum
25 September – 29 November 2026

Exhibition opening: Friday 25 September 2026, 6 – 8 pm
RSVP essential (link in bio)

Artist in conversation:
Saturday 10 October 2026, 2 – 3 pm

Image details: Michael Muir, Lifeboat, 2023, oil on linen, 137.0 x 167.0 cm

@michael__muir @magamnsw @janmurphygallery

#michaelmuir #theshapeofcolour #janmurphygallery

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Congratulations to Natasha Bieniek, who has been announced as a finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award with her work, The Folding.

One of Australia’s most prestigious awards for portraiture by women artists, the Portia Geach Memorial Award celebrates contemporary portraiture from across the country.

We’re especially excited that The Folding will also feature in Natasha’s forthcoming solo exhibition, Home, opening at Jan Murphy Gallery this November.

Bringing together 10 small oil paintings, Home turns Natasha’s meticulous attention to the rhythms of domestic life and the spaces we inhabit every day.

To register your interest in Natasha Bieniek’s forthcoming exhibition, please contact the gallery.

Portia Geach Memorial Award
S.H Ervin Gallery, Sydney
18 September - 1 November 2026

Image details: Natasha Bieniek, The Folding, 2026, oil on wood panel, 15.0 x 20.0 cm

@natashabieniek @shervingallery @janmurphygallery

#natashabieniek #portiageach #janmurphygallery

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Congratulations to Gerwyn Davies, who has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Brisbane Portrait Prize with his work, Shimmer.

The Brisbane Portrait Prize celebrates artists and sitters who are based in, or have a strong connection to, the Brisbane/Magandjin region.

Gerwyn’s sitter, Alfie, participated in the artist’s 2025 Shimmer residency, commissioned by Museum of Brisbane, and presented as part of Melt Festival.
During the project, Gerwyn worked with trans and gender diverse young people from Open Doors Youth Service to create a collaborative series of costumes and photographic portraits.

The winners of the 2026 Brisbane Portrait Prize will be announced at the exhibition opening on 18 September.

Brisbane Portrait Prize
State Library of Queensland, Brisbane
19 September to 8 November 2026

Image details: Gerwyn Davies, Shimmer, 2025, archival pigment print, 110.0 x 90.0 cm

@ger.wyn @brisbaneportraitprize @janmurphygallery

#gerwyndavies #brisbaneportraitprize #photography #janmurphygallery

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COMING SOON - Robert Malherbe, ’Almost the sun’

Robert Malherbe moves through the world paying close attention. A road after rain, flowers gathered from the garden, a figure tying back their hair or the shifting light across a hillside - each has the potential to stop him in his tracks. What begins as an ordinary encounter often becomes the catalyst for a painting, not because the subject itself is extraordinary, but because something about the experience refuses to let go. Looking, for Malherbe, is never passive. It is the beginning of
transformation.

Whether standing ankle-deep in the surf, arranging flowers in the studio or painting from a live model,
Malherbe approaches each subject with equal curiosity. As he puts it, “painting is painting.” Landscape,
still life and figure are not separate pursuits so much as different invitations to look. The subject simply provides a starting point.

“What I’m really chasing,” he says, “is making something beautiful.” It is a deceptively simple ambition. Not because beauty offers an escape from the difficulties of the world, but because it asks us to stay attentive to them. For Malherbe, beauty is found in fleeting moments that stop us without warning: light lingering on wet bitumen after rain, the weight of a flower bending towards the table, a figure caught in an unguarded gesture. Painting does not explain those moments, nor does it attempt to preserve them exactly as they were. It simply allows us to stay with them a little longer.

’Almost the sun’ will be showing in the gallery from 30 September – 24 October.

Please contact the gallery to preview the exhibition.

@robert_malherbe @janmurphygallery

Video: Stephen Mylonas @mylonasfilms

#robertmalherbe #janmurphygallery #painting #almostthesun

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Juz Kitson is currently showing in ‘Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light’ in Venice, Italy.

The fourth edition of Homo Faber Biennial invites viewers to discover over 800 artworks by over 500 artisans that explore the fundamental relationship between light, materials and the human hand.

Inspired by the archipelago of the Venetian lagoon, Artistic Director Es Devlin has created a narrative that unites the work of hundreds of individual craft artists from across the world – each an island of talent and skill within the wider waters of craftsmanship – on San Giorgio Maggiore.

For further information on the exhibition and Juz Kitson please click the link in bio.

Homo Faber 2026
An Island of Light
Venice, Fondazione Giorgio Cini
1 - 30 September 2026

Image details: Juz Kitson, ‘Dark bloom’, 2026, Raku clay, mid-fire black clay with black oxide, 59.0 x 31.0 x 32.0 cm

@juz_kitson @homofaber

#juzkitson #homofaber #ceramics

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A huge congratulations to Natasha Bieniek, who has been announced as the winner of the 2026 John Leslie Art Prize with her work, Labyrinth.

Established in 2000, the John Leslie Art Prize is a biennial national award for landscape painting presented by Gippsland Art Gallery. Measuring just 8 x 6 cm, Labyrinth is a striking example of Natasha’s ongoing exploration of miniature painting and her ability to capture extraordinary depth and detail at an intimate scale.

The winning work will now be acquired for the Gippsland Art Gallery’s permanent collection.

John Leslie Art Prize 2026
5 September – 22 November
Gippsland Art Gallery

Image credit: Natasha Bieniek, Labyrinth, 2024, oil on wood panel, 8.0 x 6.0 cm. Artist pictured with the work.

@natashabieniek @gippsartgallery

#landscapepainting #australianlandscape #natashabieniek #johnleslieartprize2026