By JESSE GRAHAM
PAINTINGS from some of the most well-known Australian artists will be adorning the walls of TarraWarra Museum of Art’s gallery for the next two months, after an opening on the weekend.
On Sunday 21 June, The Triumph of Modernism exhibition opened at TWMA, showcasing iconic modernism works spanning the last 60 years.
TWMA director Victoria Lynn said the exhibition was commissioned by the Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre in New South Wales, and recently finished hanging on its walls.
Ms Lynn said that all of the pieces except one come from TWMA’s collection, gifted to the museum by Mark and Eva Besen, and were compiled by curator Edmund Capon.
“They (Hazelhurst) invited him to do an exhibition for them, and he chose our collection to work with,” she said.
“And he decided to really do two things with this show – first of all, reveal to people in New South Wales just the breadth and depth of the collecting that Eva and Mark Besen did from the 1950s, and highlight the ways in which modernism took hold in Australian art after the Second World War.”
Featuring more than 50 pieces by artists including Russell Drysdale, Ian Fairweather, Jeffrey Smart and Joy Hester, Ms Lynn said the exhibition pieces were not sorted by date, but rather by the ideas and attitudes towards modernism.
Though many of the pieces have been on display at the gallery previously, Ms Lynn said they will be viewed in a new light through the context of The Triumph of Modernism.
“I think our regular visitors will be able to see some favourites in a new context and visitors who haven’t been here before will be able to see a story of Australian modern art over the last 50, 60 years and some exemplary works by some of Australia’s most well-known artists,” she said.
Mr Capon said the exhibition was “a rich and representative display of the story of modern Australia, with a particular and deliberate emphasis on Australian identity”.
The Triumph of Modernism will be displayed at TarraWarra Museum of Art until 16 August.
Entry is $7.50 for adults, $5 for seniors and free for concession holders.
For more information, call 5957 3100, visit www.twma.com.au or visit the gallery at 311 Healesville-Yarra Glen Road in Healesville from 11am-5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
