Other artists' works were collected so as to represent the best of their production. These acquisitions have been wide ranging and include the work of established artists such as Bea Maddock and John Olsen, younger artists such as Bronwyn Piggott and Ken Orchard, and those who were new to printmaking, such as Mike Parr. Selective acquisitions from alternative print workshops has continued. In collaboration with the Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, Wally Caruana, a unique collection of prints by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists has also been established, now numbering over 600 works from 1968 to the present. This collection includes Koori artists such as Karen Casey who works in Melbourne, as well as traditional artists such as Banduk Marika from Yirrkala and Bede Tungutalum from Nguiu, Bathurst Island.
Art produced by migrants from Asia is the latest in our cultural mix.
Artists, their relatives and friends, dealers and collectors have recognised the National Gallery's commitment to building a comprehensive collection of Australian prints and significant gifts have resulted. Donations have included definitive groups of prints by Lionel Lindsay, Bea Maddock, Barbara Hanrahan, Tony Coleing, Alun Leach-Jones and Mary Macqueen. The breadth and depth of the collection is now widely appreciated due to exhibitions, publications and lectures to both the general public and art specialists. This enabled the Gallery to acquire some 94 works covering the spectrum of printmaking activities in Australia at that time. Gordon Darling maintained his interest in contemporary Australian prints and at the launching of the Australian National Gallery Foundation in the Bicentenary year 1988, he gave one million dollars to establish the Gordon Darling Contemporary Australasian Print Fund.