London: Captain Cook fades into the background, replaced by bold Indigenous colours in a new work displayed at London's Tate Modern, part of a program to bring Australian art into the international limelight.

On Tuesday, the Tate unveiled Gordon Bennett's Possession Island, a provocative 1991 work that takes a 19th century etching of Cook's claiming Australia for Britain, and plants a proud abstract indigenous flag on it.

From left: Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, MCA director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor and Tate Modern Director Frances Morris in front of Possession island Credit:Nick Miller

It is a significant moment at a gallery that, though it has a small collection of Australian art, has seen Australia as a major absence from its collection.

The artist's widow, Leanne Bennett, said he would have been thrilled and humbled to see his work at the heart of Britain's capital.