Allison Bellinger cheerfully admits she knew nothing about running an art gallery when she opened her exhibition space in the centre of Inverell in rural northern NSW. The town is better known for agriculture and gemstones than a passing parade of potential art investors. But the former Sydney lawyer trusted her instincts and long interest in art and aesthetics and, in 2016, launched AK Bellinger Gallery with a sell-out show of works by contemporary Australian artist and three-time Archibald Prize finalist Vanessa Stockard.
“I’d bought some of her paintings,” Allison explains. “Through the years, we’d become friends and she generously offered to give me my first show. There was real local interest in what I was doing, and opening night was wall-to-wall with people. Vanessa and her husband came up…
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Australian Country Homes (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 28