Exhibition of Australian modernist art: June-Aug 2015

50 of the finest works of Australian modernist art from the past 60 years, selected by the curator Edmund Capon will be exhibited at TarraWarra Museum of Art next month. Commissioned by Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre in Sydney, "The Triumph of Modernism in the Art of Australia" presents a compelling view of the emergence of Australian modernism, with works dating from 1935 on.

The curator Edmund Capon describes The Triumph of Modernism as a rich and representative display of the story of modern Australia, with a particular emphasis on Australian identity. It details the development of a new identity in Australian art with WW2 artists such as Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Russell Drysdale, John Brack, John Perceval and Charles Blackman - artists who have appeared in this blog regularly. Later years see the continuing development of modern art in the works of Fred Williams and John Olsen - also very familiar to me. But the contemporary art by Imants Tillers, Howard Arkley and Aida Tomescu is less familiar to me.

Sydney born artist Brett Whiteley (1939–1992) seemed to be very comfortable creating Sydney Harbour seascapes in the 1970s and abstracted images of bush scenes. Edmund Capon proudly introduced Whiteley's work, Australia 1970-74, one of the works in the Modernism exhibition. The oil painting includes charcoal, dried reed, a eucalypt branch, a rubber snake, a stuffed Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, collage and plaster on plywood. As is typical of Whiteley, this image was a spectacle of colour, scale, texture, humour and sensuality.

Brett Whiteley,

Australia 1970-74
203 x 325 cm
TarraWarra Museum of Art collection.

Australian artist Jeffrey Smart (1921-2013) lived in his beloved Tuscan countryside since 1964 and died in Italy two years ago. This painting, The Dome, was chosen because it was a place where the light radiated magically from the land. Brunelleschi’s dome of the Florence Duomo was painted in 1977, framed by one tree on a hill and a traditional Italian red and white striped pole.

Jeffrey Smart, 

The dome 1977,

75 x 74 cm. 

From the Eva Besen AO and Marc Besen AO Collection, 

TarraWarra Museum of Art collection.

The exhibition will illustrate two themes; 1] the triumph of modernism in Australian art and 2] the particular qualities and strengths of the TarraWarra and Eva and Marc Besen collections. Visitors familiar with 19th and early 20th century paintings will note it is the story of our art, moving from the romantic, impressionism and post-impressionism ...into the modern.

The Triumph of Modernism is being exhibited at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre in New South Wales from March to 24th May 2015. It will be shown at the TarraWarra Museum of Art in Healesville-Yarra Glen Road, Healesville from 20th June to 16th August 2015. 

TarraWarra winery, restaurant and gallery 
set amongst the vineyards in Healesville

TarraWarra is Australia’s first significant, privately funded, public museum. Collectors Eva and Marc Besen were art-focused Australians who became benefactors, launching the Tarrawarra Museum with 142 of their private artworks that they bought in the 1950s. Their vision for this new art museum includes increasing their bequests over time. 

One of the great joys of  TarraWarra is that it is surrounded by the glorious vineyards of the Yarra Valley. Visitors are invited to complete their tour of the art exhibition with a wine tasting at the cellar door and a fine meal in the adjoining restaurant. In summer the wine tasting should be always enjoyed in the sunshine, facing the vineyards.

Many thanks to TarraWarra Museum of Art for sending me this material. I have also loved the Hazelhurst catalogue that accompanies The Triumph of Modernism, featuring the key works by star artists in the exhibition.