Artists from throughout Victoria reunited at the opening of the 2026 Annual AGRA Exhibition held for The Australian Guild of Realist Artists last Saturday.

More than 90 people attended the opening held by the guild which was started by artists including Sir William Dargie CBE, Kenneth Jack AM MBE and Kath Ballard OAM more than 50 years ago. Judges were VAS Historian Andrew Mackenzie OAM; the Curator, City of Boroondara Rachel Keir-Smith; and former AGRA president Colin Johnson. The exhibition features five works by the late Kath Ballard with an exhibition of work by Kenneth Jack held in the Cato Gallery.

Colin Johnson, the guild’s third president, was presented with a lithograph by the Jack family that he completed in 1964 under the guidance of his former teacher Kenneth Jack.

“Ken mentored me, and I followed as president after he proposed me as an an AGRA committee member and history is now repeating itself as Lulu, a former student of mine, is now reinvigorating and running AGRA.

We have come full circle and long may it continue.”

The nationwide guild was resurrected by VAS artist Lulu Clifton-Evans after the guild closed in 2023 and now has directors throughout Australia for the first time.

From top left: Vicki Ballard (daughter of Kath Ballard OAM); former AGRA president Colin Johnson, mouth painter Geoff Dossettor, AGRA president Lulu Clifton-Evans

Middle row: Caroline Lewallen; Kerry Williams, Sarah Ackland, Jo Reitze, Roz Chiarotto

Bottom row: Elena Kolotusha, Jan Martin, Roz McQuillan, Christine Broersen and David Jack (son of Kenneth Jack)

Missing are Grace Paleg, Heather Peberdy, Lyn Mellady, Regina Hona and Geoff Sargeant, Karen van Ulzen

Award Recipients