Artbank Sydney

Artbank is an Australian art rental program established in 1980 by the Australian Government. The program supports contemporary Australian artists by purchasing their artworks and renting them to public and private sector clients. The initiative was inspired by Canada's Art Bank, and was championed by then federal minister for the arts, Bob Ellicott, who convinced Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser of its value. The collection was initially endowed with 600 artworks from the National Gallery of Australia and has since grown to include over 11,000 works by more than 3,500 culturally diverse Australian artists, spanning various media including painting, sculpture, video, photography, and ceramics.