Works by pop art master Andy Warhol worth $148 million are heading to Perth, in the biggest loan so far under a federal government plan to share the national art collection.
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The artworks being loaned by the National Gallery of Australia to the Wanneroo Regional Gallery for two years include iconic images, such as Warhol's life-size screenprint Elvis from 1963 and his Campbell's Soup I from 1968.
The sharing program is part of the national cultural policy announced in January, which has allocated $11.8 million over four years to transport, install and insure the artworks.
"Sharing the National Collection with the whole nation is so important, and now one of our most valuable collections is on its way to the west," federal Arts Minister Tony Burke said.
The Wanneroo gallery was first in line to express its interest in a loan when the sharing program opened in July.
The loan is also a recognition that the gallery in Perth's outer suburbs is world class, said Wanneroo Mayor Linda Aitken.
It will provide people across the region with unprecedented access to renowned works by one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, she said.
Australian Associated Press
