Eleven significant early works by iconic Australian artist Arthur Boyd have made their way back to Bundanon, offering Shoalhaven audiences a rare chance to view pieces that shaped one of the nation’s most influential artistic careers.

The works have been loaned to Bundanon Art Museum under the Federal Government’s Sharing the National Collection program - an initiative designed to bring major artworks out of storage and into regional communities across Australia.

The program funds the transport, installation and insurance of national collection pieces so they can be exhibited far beyond Canberra.

Created in the 1930s while Boyd lived with his grandfather at Port Phillip Bay, the artworks help fill an important gap in Bundanon’s own archive of Boyd’s life and legacy.

The museum will present them in two parts, focusing on the artist’s early development and the beginnings of his lifelong engagement with landscape, family and identity.

Bundanon - gifted to the nation by Boyd and his wife Yvonne - continues to serve as a leading cultural institution, hosting residencies, education programs, exhibitions and performances on its Shoalhaven River property.

Arts Minister Tony Burke said the return of the works honours this legacy while making the national collection more accessible.

“At any point, 98 per cent of our national collection is held in storage,” Burke said.

“The national collection belongs to the entire nation, not just to Canberra, and I’m glad to see these works back in such a special place.”

Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips echoed the excitement, emphasising how meaningful the exhibition will be for the region.

“This is a rare opportunity to see Arthur Boyd’s works back here in Shoalhaven - a place that inspired so many of his paintings,” she said.

“Bundanon is a place of local and national pride, and I hope everyone takes this chance to visit.”

National Gallery of Australia director Dr Nick Mitzevich said the loan strengthens the cultural connection between Boyd’s legacy and the landscape that shaped him.

Bundanon CEO Rachel Kent added that the museum is “delighted” to feature the works in its new exhibition, The Hidden Line: Art of the Boyd Women, where visitors will see portraits of key women in Boyd’s life.

The Sharing the National Collection program is part of Revive, Australia’s national cultural policy, with $11.8 million dedicated over four years to sharing art with communities nationwide.