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The Bendigo Art Gallery is expecting its next major international exhibition - Elvis: Direct From Graceland - to provide a welcome boost to the city's economy.
Gallery director Jess Bridgfoot said Bendigo Art Gallery's international exhibitions typically brought between $6 million and $16 million to the region's economy.
"When you talk about blockbuster exhibitions, it doesn't get bigger than Elvis. We're expecting a huge crowd," she said. "I think this exhibition will come at just the right time.
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"(We) have gone through a difficult 18 months or two years with businesses suffering. We know international exhibitions at the gallery can gen anywhere between six and and 16 million dollars into the local economy.
"It is the largest collection of artefacts that have left Graceland and come to Australia. We are excited to have this Australian exclusive and to work it up with the Graceland team.
"We are expecting this will give businesses the lift they need during this time."
Gallery curatorial manger Lauren Ellis said the biographical exhibition will be a thrill for people and hopes it will provide a new appreciation for the music icon.
"Elvis was the first celebrity of his kind that we know today. His superstardom was on another level. He wrote the roadmap for celebrity," she said.
"His achievements as a performing artist have never been paralleled, performers are still trying to reach the heights he did.
"People see a lot of themselves in Elvis because they are familiar with his story of growing in poverty and the rags-to-riches idea he went through.
"There will be lots of music and images from right across his life from his childhood to the 1950s, his career in Hollywood in the 1960s and his fashion and style in the 1970s.
"Perhaps this will give people a deeper appreciation of how complex and innovative he was as a creative talent."
Ms Bridgfoot said the Bendigo Art Gallery had been working with Graceland for almost two years on bringing the exhibition out from the US.
"We have been working away, mining the archives, online during the pandemic," she said.
"Graceland hold the Elvis story very tightly. He is still within living memory of many of the team and family who surround Graceland.
"There was big trust-building exercises (with Graceland). Not only did we have to demonstrate our track record in presenting world-class exhibitions but also the narrative of his style, his sense of fashion, the way he crafted his persona and iconic status.
"We offered a new interpretation that Graceland was happy to support. That was hook that got Graceland initially being interested in presenting this is in Australia.
"It has been a wonderful experience to date and we hope to make a quick pilgrimage to Graceland before (the exhibition opens) March."
EARLIER:
The Bendigo Art Gallery will shake, rattle and roll from March next year when it hosts its new Elvis exhibition.
Elvis: Direct From Graceland will open on March 19 and showcase more than 300 authentic artifacts from the King of Rock and Roll's life.
The gallery has worked directly with Graceland to explore Elvis' stellar career, his larger-than-life persona and lesser-known aspects of his early years, interests and personal life.
Bendigo Art Gallery director Jess Bridgfoot said she was excited to bring the iconic collection to Australia at a time when international travel has been limited.
"This is the latest in the international series of exhibitions presented by Bendigo Art Gallery that pay homage to the great style icons of our recent history, including Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Balenciaga and Mary Quant," she said.
"What they each have in common is a focus on fashion and design, and this exhibition highlights Elvis' trailblazing sense of style, the close working relationships he forged with designers such as Lansky Brothers and Bill Belew and his impact on 20th century visual culture."
Among the items that will go on display will be Elvis' military uniforms, his 1976 Red Bicentennial Custom Harley Davidson and some of his famous jumpsuits.
Personal items that are part of the collection include Lisa Marie Presley's baby clothes, Elvis' first job application and the first grade crayon box he took to school.
A 1960 bright red MG convertible from the Blue Hawaii movie will also visit Australia. The car was the only one from Elvis' films that he owned.
Elvis Presley Enterprises archives and exhibits vice president Angie Marchese said she was delighted to work with Bendigo Art Gallery to present an exhibition about Elvis' life.
"It is a great honour to work alongside the creative team at the Bendigo Art Gallery to bring this unprecedented, detailed and comprehensive look into Elvis' life and career to Australia," she said.
"While Elvis was never able to visit Australia himself, it brings us great pride at Graceland to know that his legacy and music lives on there. We look forward to sharing a glimpse into Elvis' life with the fans in Australia."
Tourism minister Martin Pakula said landing this exhibition is a major coup for Bendigo and Victoria.
"Thousands of Elvis fans will be marking the dates in their diaries right now," he said.
"Whether people come for the jumpsuits, the Harley or just to celebrate one of the great figures in recent history, the benefit will extend to cafes, restaurants and hotels across the region."
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