Painting the Celestial is the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of Ipswich-based painter Leonard Brown, tracing more than five decades of practice.
Widely regarded for his sublime minimal abstract canvases, Brown’s works are held in major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia and Art Gallery of New South Wales. Alongside his abstraction, Brown is also an accomplished icon painter working within the ancient conventions of Byzantine and Medieval Russian traditions, with many works consecrated and in liturgical use worldwide.
This major exhibition transforms Ipswich Art Gallery into a luminous, gold-radiating sanctuary to present Brown’s icons, while also showcasing his abstract paintings in unprecedented depth. The exhibition reveals the breadth of his practice — from spiritual iconography to contemporary abstraction — positioning autobiography, devotion and formal experimentation within one unified vision.
In Conversation: Leonard Brown & Sasha Grishin AM, FAHA
Saturday 28 March 2026, 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Free, RSVP required
Opening Event
Saturday 28 March 2026, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
RSVP essential
Open daily, 10am – 5pm
Free entry
