Discover the Mosman Art Trail – a new cultural experience bringing paintings to life.

By ANNA USHER

A new, open-air cultural experience taking walkers to scenic Mosman locations launches on Tuesday 30 April.

The Mosman Art Trail – a project funded by Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman Council and The Balnaves Foundation, will feature 12 Australian classic paintings along a 10km route, with spoken word commentary voiced by acclaimed actor Claudia Karvan.

Featured works will include Sydney Harbour by Arthur Streeton, 1895; Sydney Long’s Clifton Gardens, 1905; Ethel Carrick Fox’s Balmoral Beach, 1913; Margaret Preston’s Mosman Bridge, 1927; and the most contemporary work, Jasper Knight’s colourful Spit Bridge Tower, 2015.

“The Mosman Art Trail is a wonderful addition to our beautiful natural environment, and a very fitting way to remember Neil Balnaves, who lived in this area for more than 50 years and was so active in our community,” Mayor Carolyn Corrigan told Mosman Collective.

In 2010 Mr Balnaves AO, donated 16 Australian Impressionist and early 20th-century paintings to the Mosman Art Gallery, which were worth more than one million dollars at the time.

Known as The Balnaves Gift, many of the key artworks have now been reproduced on outdoor signs for a wider audience to enjoy.

The art trail is an idea originally conceived by Mr Balnaves during the Covid lockdowns.

“Dad walked the tracks of Mosman and found great joy experiencing the same scenery depicted in the paintings he donated,” son Hamish Balnaves said.

“He wanted to share that enjoyment with others and first proposed what has become the Mosman Art Trail, with key paintings from The Balnaves Gift placed at the artists’ viewpoints.”

In an interview prior to his death in 2022, Mr Balnaves spoke about his extraordinary donation, saying he wanted to provide an art collection with “meaning to the community”.

“You can then teach children a lot more about art if you can relate it to the community in which they live,” he said.

Art has been created for countless generations on the land of the Cammeraigal and Borogegal peoples, where rock engravings and other artforms still reflect the artists’ vital connection to Country, and where contemporary Indigenous artists continue their practice today. In parallel with developing Mosman Art Trail, Mosman Council is also working on a future interpretative signage project acknowledging local sites of significance to First Nations peoples.

“Mosman Art Trail brings works from The Balnaves Gift to the wider public’s gaze and shines a light on the Mosman Art Collection. It is a unique cultural and physical experience for the community to enjoy, learn about this very special place and be inspired by art and the natural surroundings,” Mosman Art Gallery Director John Cheeseman said.

“Dad was always passionate about Australian art and fostering cultural engagement with young people. This new trail brings those two important elements together, giving families and schools a great way to delve into local history and our natural surroundings, and explore how the area has changed since these artworks were painted,” Hamish said.

“It’s about appreciating the unique beauty of Mosman in a much more physical and immediate way, not just looking at the landscape but being in it.”

Mosman Art Trail