Step into the world of The ARNDT Collection at SAM this summer.

Showing exclusively at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) this summer, new major exhibition The ARNDT Collection: From One World to Another provides an insight into the private art collection of Matthias Arndt and Tiffany Wood.

Curated by Rachael Vance, Director and Curator of the ARNDT Collection, From One World to Another explores Arndt and Wood’s passion for collecting and the special, lasting relationships that are developed with artists through collecting their work. Featuring over forty significant artworks spanning painting, film, sculpture, ceramics, photography, works on paper, and furniture design, the exhibition weaves together an array of personal narratives that collectively resound with the ARNDT Collection philosophy: that art inspires new ways of experiencing the world.

Matthias Arndt and Tiffany Wood say of the collaboration:

“As art collectors, we take great pleasure in acquiring artworks and cherishing them in our daily lives. However, collecting art carries a profound responsibility and the privilege of sharing the art we're passionate about with a broad audience.

This is why we’re particularly thrilled about collaborating with SAM and the opportunity to showcase a carefully curated selection from our art collection, engaging in a dialogue with a larger audience. My encounter with contemporary art has been life-changing, and working in this field and collecting art is a continuous source of inspiration and wonder.

We extend our warmest thanks to the visitors of SAM and our exhibition. Above all, we wish them a wealth of encounters, joy, inspiration, and a deep appreciation for the transforming powers of art.”

Highlights of the exhibition include a selection of Pablo Picasso’s ceramics, UK duo Gilbert & George’s photo-collage Union Dance (2008), French artist Sophie Calle’s mixed media The view of my life (2020) and Filipino artist Rodel Tapaya’s painting Beaten with many stripes (2020), as well as works from renowned Australian artists Del Kathryn Barton and Ben Quilty. Echoing the way in which much of the ARNDT Collection fills the home of the collectors, the exhibition design incorporates living space elements that lend the gallery a more intimate, personal atmosphere that emulates the residence of Arndt and Wood.

While the exhibition primarily occupies the museum’s People’s Gallery on Level 2, the display extends to the ceramics showcase outside of the Elsewhere at SAM Café to highlight Picasso’s ceramics alongside sculptural works from German-born artist Joseph Beuys, allowing visitors to experience the artworks as the collectors do – amongst friends, family, food, and conversation.

Rachael Vance, Director and Curator of the ARNDT Collection, says of the curating the exhibition:

"From One World to Another illuminates the intimate and beautiful evolution of shaping an art collection. However, finding a harmonious balance between such an array of distinctive artistic voices was complex due to the abundance of world-class pieces within the collection's holdings.

A significant element in curating the exhibition within a museum context was the importance in recognising private collections as contemporary sources that actively frame the public’s relation to art and current artistic influences. This interplay between the public and private spheres was integral to acknowledge. With this sentiment, I am so extremely thrilled to let the world in to see this first institutional exhibition from the ARNDT Collection."

Following the exhibition’s opening to the public on 11 November 2023, visitors are invited to join Matthias Arndt for a free, exclusive guided tour of the exhibition at SAM on 17 November at 2PM. The tour will provide attendees with an opportunity to gain a deeper, more personal understanding of the growth of the ARNDT Collection and the passion of the collectors that have built it. Bookings for the tour can be made via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/arndt-collection-or-from-one-world-to-another-exhibition-opening-lunch-with-matthias-arndt

The ARNDT Collection: From One World to Another will be showing at Shepparton Art Museum from 11 November 2023 until 10 March 2024. Entry to this exhibition, and all exhibitions at SAM, is free.

Further programs and special events will be announced throughout the duration of the show.

List of featured artists:

Del Kathryn Barton, Joseph Beuys, Kwesi Botchway, Sophie Calle, Joe Colombo, Lippo d’Andrea, Johnson Eziefula, Rainer Fetting, Zaachariaha Fielding, Gilbert & George, Thomas Hirschhorn, Jitish Kallat, Alicja Kwade, Tahnee Lonsdale, Heinz Mack, David Noonan, Pablo Picasso, Sigmar Polke, Ben Quilty, Julian Rosefeldt, Gareth Sansom, Rodel Tapaya, Zandile Tshabalala, Xiyao Wang, Ambera Wellmann, and Franz West.

Image: Gilbert & George, Union Dance (detail), 2008, JACK FREAK PICTURES. Courtesy of ARNDT Collection.

© Gilbert & George.