Unveiling WILDER TIMES: Arthur Boyd and the Mid-1980s Landscape

Bundanon has proudly launched WILDER TIMES: Arthur Boyd and the Mid-1980s Landscape, a compelling new exhibition and live program brimming with 80s-inspired events, running from now until 13 October 2024. This initiative offers a vivid glimpse into a period of rich cultural dynamism in Australia, marked by critical conversations around landscape, land ownership, and environmental protection. Exhibition Highlights The exhibition showcases works from over 25 distinguished Australian artists from the mid-1980s. Central to the exhibition are Arthur Boyd’s fourteen powerful landscape paintings, commissioned in 1984 by Arts Centre Melbourne. These monumental pieces have returned to Bundanon for the first time since their creation, now displayed alongside more than 60 significant works by other influential Australian artists of that era, including David Aspden, Vivienne Binns, and Rover Joolama Thomas, to name a few. Boyd’s commission was part of a broader initiative led by renowned designer John Truscott, aimed at incorporating new works within Arts Centre Melbourne’s interiors. These commissions were integral to Truscott’s vision of the theatres as a ‘secular cathedral to the arts’, resonating strongly with Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s vision for Bundanon and reflecting the period’s vibrant cultural milieu. The Boyd Connection Arthur Boyd’s suite of paintings captures the essence of the Shoalhaven landscape from dawn to midnight, epitomising his deep respect for the natural world. These works record Boyd’s observations through rough paintings and sketches created in situ, before being realised on canvas in his Bundanon studio. The series now graces Bundanon’s Art Museum, underscoring Boyd’s commitment to environmental preservation and his profound… Read More