Million-dollar makeover ready to help draw crowds

Cartoon Gallery redevelopment opens with retrospective of acclaimed artist

National Cartoon Gallery Coffs Harbour will be exhibiting a Bill Leak retrospective in its brand new gallery space.

The multimillion-dollar expansion of the National Cartoon Gallery is now finished and will open to the public this weekend.

Built above the former World War II bunker which has housed acclaimed cartoons for more than 23 years, the new gallery and theatre space will make the Gallery bigger and better than ever.

The Gallery secured funding from the NSW State Government, Coffs Harbour City Council and private donations to complete the redevelopment which is estimated to have cost more than $3m.

While there are plans to one day create a permanent exhibition telling the story of Australia through cartoons, the first works to be shown in the new space will be those of acclaimed cartoonist Bill Leak, who passed away in 2017.

Work on the $2m Bunker Cartoon Gallery redevelopment is complete. Photo: Tim Jarrett

The retrospective is billed as the wittiest set of cartoons you'll ever see from the master of non-politically correct satire.

Leak's editorial cartoons for The Australian were at the centre of several controversies and some of those works are featured in the exhibition.

His works were first published in 1983 in The Bulletin and while he worked for both the Fairfax and Murdoch press, Mr Leak is best remembered for his years as editorial cartoonist at The Australian newspaper.

Bill Leak illustration published 8.2.16 in the Australian.

He is also the winner of nine Walkley awards.

Bill Leak was an accomplished portrait painter who trained at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. He entered the Archibald Prize several times but despite winning the packing room prize, never won.

The new Gallery space officially opens to the public this Saturday following a opening night event on Friday night. 

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