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.

In Heide I, the exhibition presents some of the earliest works in the Heide Collection, with a focus on an important group of works by the ‘first circle’ of radical young artists that were supported by art patrons and founders of Heide, John and Sunday Reed when they began collecting in the 1930s. This decade witnessed the initial stirrings of modern art in Australia. Local artists such as Sam Atyeo, Moya Dyring and Adrian Lawlor were at the forefront of these advances, producing imagery that challenged academic traditions and which was clearly influenced by international movements such as Cubism.

Paintings and drawings by by Sam Atyeo, one of the first proponents of abstraction in Australia, and another influential figure of the period, the self taught Russian émigré artist Danila Vassilieff are complemented by a selection of Albert Tucker’s well-known documentary photographs. These images capture the key figures who contributed to life at Heide during what is now regarded as a formative era in Australian art.