The Kangaroo in the Decorative Arts

For tens of thousands of years, artists have been enamoured with the kangaroo, with the oldest known depiction dated to 17,300 years ago in Balanggarra Country, in the Kimberley region.

The Kangaroo in the Decorative Arts was an exhibition mounted in 1979 by Terence Lane, former Senior Curator of Australian Art, largely from his personal collection. Kangaroos were something of an obsession for Lane, who before his death in 2024 had amassed an eclectic collection that included some curious examples from Europe, the Philippines and Japan. Around 150 of these are now in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.