FOREVER YOUNG30 YEARS OF THE HEIDE COLLECTION

‘Forever Young: 30 Years of the Heide Collection’ traces the history of the Heide Collection, showcasing works which have rarely been seen alongside iconic masterpieces. The exhibition follows a chronology that aligns with the history of each of the buildings onsite, bringing the story to life and celebrating the history, diversity and continuing growth of the Heide Collection.

Presented in the Albert and Barbara Tucker Gallery and the Kerry Gardner & Andrew Myer Project Gallery, this exhibition features key works by artists of the Heide circle. The 1940s were a watershed in the development of modern art in Australia, and throughout the decade Heide was a hub for avant-garde artists and writers. It was a spirited and ambitious period of cultural achievement that has since become central to the history and trajectory of Australian art.

In these years the Reeds helped launch the careers of artists now considered major figures— Arthur Boyd, Joy Hester, Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Albert Tucker and Danila Vassilieff—collectively known as the Angry Penguins, after the progressive journal published by the Reeds and Max Harris. Their various preoccupations and innovations can be seen in this section of Forever Young, including one of Sidney Nolan’s earliest images of Ned Kelly’s black mask, two of Albert Tucker’s landmarkImages of Modern Evil; a range of Joy Hester’s compelling psycho-portraits; and several of the surrealist-expressionist allegories that established Arthur Boyd as a leading Australian painter of the 20th century.