By Olivia O’Keeffe
The countdown is underway for art lovers awaiting Shepparton Art Museum’s (SAM) major winter blockbuster Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso opening May 23 to September 20.
The exhibition offers visitors an exclusive opportunity to view artworks never before seen in Australia from some of the artworld’s biggest household names such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Henri Matisse and Edgar Degas.
Last year Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio brought in around 17,000 visitors to the gallery and this year Facing Modernity, SAM’s first paid and most marketed exhibition, predicts 22,000 visitors.
“We could have 100 people lining up out the door on that first day, or we could have 10. It’s hard to tell, but we expect there’ll be somewhere in the middle. So we’ve just got to be flexible enough to adjust and adapt,” SAM’s Artist Director Danny Lacy said.
In preparation for the influx of visitors to the gallery, SAM is implementing additional security measures, a larger ticketing infrastructure and advertising 20 new casual positions over a six-month period.
Beginning too, in September and at the tailend of Facing Modernity is yet another monumental art event at SAM, The Archibald Prize 2026, on display at the gallery from September 5 to November 1.
Lacy describes the biggest challenge in preparing both events simultaneously has been the logistics of scheduling, given the gallery had already started programming Facing Modernity when they received the offer to host the Archibald Prize 2026 on dates that were already set in stone.
“Ideally, you’d probably stage them in different years, not back to back or overlapping for two weeks. That is pretty crazy in a way… but you can’t say no to the Archibald Prize.”
Lacy describes 2026 as a foundational year for the gallery made possible by the work of previous directors and staff and the realised potential of SAM’s state of the art building.
“We’ve got this amazing art museum, one of the… most amazing in regional Australia. Let’s just make the most of it really and see what we can do. It’s a real learning curve for us, but a really exciting opportunity,” said Mr Lacy.
Ticket bookings for Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso will open at 10am on Thursday, April 23 and will be available to purchase via SAM’s website.
