Gil Jamieson (1934-1992), passed away over 30 years ago, leaving a striking and substantial legacy of 3000 works, stored in his studio. The family believe this is perhaps only half of what he painted. Following the 2019 exhibition ‘The Resurrection’, Monto has taken steps to rejuvinate and restore Gil Jamieson’s place in Australian Art. The MMOA now occupies a vast enormous space in two buildings, art deco inspired constructions from the 1950s, in the middle of town’s main street. Through much voluntary contribution, the space was renovated to display Gil's works, including Jay Creek, the 18-panel 21.6 m panorama. Other works are rotated in changing exhibitions within the two sections of the gallery.

Jamieson occupied a place space he self-described as 'romantic figurative.' His contemporaries included the Victorian artists Fred Williams, John Perceval, Edwin Tanner, Charles Blackman, Roger Kemp, and George Johnson. In Queensland, he associated with Sammy Fullbrook and Gordon Shepherdson. The distinction between Gil Jamieson and the Victorian Antipodean landscape painters was that Gil was born of the bush, capturing expressions of its harsh, uncomfortable realities, its mysticism, unforgiving power, and transcendent cycles in narratives read direct from the landscape.

The Gil Jamieson collection currently comprises 900 oil paintings and a large number of works on paper and prints in gouache, ink & pastel. An important work held in the collection is the Jay Creek painting, a 21 metre long, 360-degree panorama which was painted on location by Gil Jamieson in the McDonnell Ranges in Central Australia in 1973.

Cania Gold 1964 Gil Jamieson