About Aboriginal Exhibitions Gallery at De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate

Aboriginal Exhibitions Gallery is operated by Director/owner Hans Sip.

The galley is located at De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate in regional Victoria, Australia, born of a mutual appreciation of the arts, in particular artworks of national importance and local indigenous heritage. The gallery has traded at De Bortoli since 2018 and is a fitting addition to their heritage listed winery cellar door, originally constructed in the 1800s as winery production and barrel room warehousing.

The entire gallery collection of Aboriginal art and artefacts comprises works include paintings and artefacts from: Victoria; Cape York and Arnhem Land, NT; Northern Queensland; Kimberley and Fitzroy River, WA; Central and Western Deserts; Tiwi Islands and South Australia.

Representing a broad and mostly contemporary view of Australian Aboriginal art, the collection offers a visually powerful experience. Significant cultural works convey ancestral stories and depict large scale maps of Country together with sacred sites. As the pieces have been sourced from many parts of Australia they clearly demonstrate the richness and diversity of Aboriginal art and culture.

Aboriginal Exhibitions has contributed internationlly with major exhibitions including Lo Spirito Dell’Arte Aborigena in February 2011 at the M.A.N. (Museo d’Arte Provincia di Nuoro – Modern Art Museum) in Sardinia, Italy. The exhibition comprised over 300 items of contemporary Australian Aboriginal art and culture. It became the largest exhibition of Australian Aboriginal art to be shown in a foreign public gallery.

Aboriginal Exhibitions has been a long supporter late Victorian artist Trevor ‘Turbo’ Brown, with many comisisoned works held in its collection. Over many years the gallery has curated large scale exhibitions of Turbo’s work, including external exhiibits including an exhibition at the Benalla Art Gallery co-curated by prominate Melbourne photorelist artist Ivan Durrant and his son, Jamie Durrant – former curator at Aboriginal Exhibitions Gallery.

As a Foundation Member of the National Gallery of Victoria, Hans Sip has donated a number of works by Trevor ‘Turbo’ Brown to the NGV.

Aboriginal Exhibitions has traded since 2003 and is an Art Code member. 

The gallery is Victoria and Regional NSW exclusive representative for the artists of Lockhart River Arts Indigenous Corporation.

Maureen Thomson, Hunting Land, 2003
55 x 117cm, Acrylic on canvas