Tunbridge Gallery

Tunbridge Gallery: Cottesloe's Premier Source for Authentic Aboriginal Art

Tunbridge Gallery has been a fixture in Cottesloe since 2009, specialising in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Located at Shop 6, Napoleon Close on Cottesloe's retail strip (WA 6011), the gallery offers a solid range of contemporary Indigenous work. It acknowledges the Whadjuk and Wardandi Noongar peoples as the traditional owners of the land and pays respects to Elders past and present.

Over the past 15 years, the gallery has cultivated relationships with remote Aboriginal art centres across WA, South Australia and the Northern Territory. By sourcing directly and ethically, every piece tells a genuine story and artists receive proper recognition and support. The business is about more than just selling art though. It's geared towards cultural education, fair partnerships and genuine community engagement.

A Well-Considered Collection Across Aboriginal Art Traditions

Tunbridge Gallery stocks work that covers the full range of Aboriginal art traditions from different regions and communities. You'll find seascapes and landscapes showing Australia's interior and coasts, figurative pieces, wildlife subjects. That's the sort of breadth you'd expect from artists working across First Nations traditions. The collection includes work by established figures like Ngamaru Bidu, Billy Thomas, Tjumpo Tjapanangka, Nora Wompi and Lucy Yukenbarri Napanangka, whose pieces appeal to serious collectors. Newer artists like Melissa Lewis, Langaliki Lewis and Yaritji Jack are there too, which makes the gallery a decent entry point if you're just starting to collect.

The gallery takes both contemporary Aboriginal art and the stories that sit behind it seriously. A work like 'Waterholes and Sandhills in the Great Sandy Desert' or pieces about ceremony and Country tell you something about the spiritual and geographical meaning that matters to Aboriginal visual culture. They run thematic shows as well. The current 'Birds of Australia' exhibition, for instance, brings together work from communities across the south-west and beyond. Pieces get picked with individual collectors in mind, but also corporate buyers and institutions, with the idea that good art does more than look good on a wall. It teaches something, it preserves something, it matters.

Exhibition Program and Community Engagement

Tunbridge Gallery keeps things moving with a steady stream of shows that shift through the year. The 'Birds of Australia' collection, running through to January 2026, is a good example of how they pick their themes. They pull together work from different communities to dig into stuff that matters to Aboriginal cultural knowledge. Because the exhibitions rotate, people who come back see new angles on Country, Jukurrpa (Dreaming) and the stories that sit at the centre of Indigenous art practice.

What makes the gallery different is how seriously they take hands-on learning. They run small group trips out to Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley and other remote spots, so collectors and art lovers can actually watch artists at work and talk directly about Country and Dreaming stories. That kind of thing, paired with regular contact between the gallery and community art centres, means the work stays grounded in real cultural engagement rather than just shifting paintings. Director Julienne Penny's connection to artist communities and backing for things like the 'As We are Art Awards' shows the gallery genuinely cares about advocating for First Nations creators and getting them proper recognition.

Accessibility and Tailored Services for Every Collector

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Beyond selling art, Tunbridge Gallery offers practical support to collectors. They help you find the right work, handle custom framing, installation, restoration and secure transport. If you need a corporate gift, wedding registry piece or something special for an occasion, they've got you covered. Artists selling authentic Aboriginal work can also consign pieces through the gallery's secondary market service, as long as provenance checks out. They're open Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm at their Cottesloe spot, with another location in Margaret River. You can ring them up or visit from anywhere in Australia.