Bundanon

Bundanon is a large property near Nowra, City of Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia. It was the home of the painter Arthur Boyd. Established as a national Trust in 1993, Bundanon supports arts practice and engagement with the arts through its residency, education, exhibition and performance programs. In preserving the natural and cultural heritage of its site Bundanon promotes the value of landscape in all our lives.[1]

Description and history
Bundanon Homestead

The Bundanon Homestead started as a single-storey weatherboard structure built circa 1840. In 1866, a two-storey sandstone house, made of locally quarried stone, was built immediately in front of the weatherboard house. The sandstone house features timber verandahs and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate.[2] Bundanon's history as a farm property is still evident in many of the buildings on site, re-purposed and restored to form the vibrant artistic hub of the Trust.[3]

Bundanon was donated to the people of Australia in 1993 by Arthur Boyd, who believed "you can't own a landscape" and wanted to share the place that inspired him so much with everyone, along with the adjoining property which was owned by the artist Sidney Nolan. Under the control of the Bundanon Trust it is open to the public every Sunday from 10:30am to 4:00pm. It also contains an educational centre and part of the property has been set up as a constantly evolving studio space for artists and writers. There are currently four studios with attached residences and a writers cottage which are offered meritoriously to a select group of talented individuals from all over the world. Pulpit Rock, a significant rocky outcrop visible from Bundanon, features in a number of Arthur Boyd's paintings of the landscape.[4]

Arthur Boyd at Bundanon
Arthur and Yvonne Boyd at Bundanon 1990s

In the early 1970s, Arthur Boyd purchased Riversdale on the banks of the Shoalhaven River near Bundanon and added to the buildings to create a home and studio. Arthur and Yvonne Boyd purchased Bundanon from Sandra and Tony McGrath and Frank McDonald in the summer of 1979. [5]

After building a studio at Bundanon in 1982, Boyd painted a series of large, iconic Shoalhaven images based on the river and bush around Bundanon. He was commissioned to design the tapestry for Great Hall of New Parliament House and created 16 canvases for the foyer of Victorian Arts Centre.[6]

The gift and establishment of Bundanon Trust

At the memorial service for Sir Sidney Nolan on 28 January 1993, Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the Australian Government’s acceptance of Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift of Bundanon and the intention to establish the Bundanon Trust. Trustees were established by the Australian Government to oversee the operation of Bundanon Trust.[7]

Render of the new Art Museum and The Bridge

Bundanon Re-imagined

In 2020 construction of a new light-filled contemporary art museum on Bundanon's Riversdale property was announced. Partially buried in the landscape, the new museum development sits at the heart of the new plan for Bundanon, with a dramatic bridge structure landing onto an expansive public plaza near the existing nineteenth century buildings. Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) have created a dynamic new plan for Arthur Boyd’s iconic Bundanon property.[8]

See also

References
  1. "About :". Bundanon Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  2. The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/162
  3. "Bundanon Architecture :". Bundanon Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Bundanon Trust". Bundanon Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  6. "Bundanon Trust". Bundanon Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  7. "Bundanon Trust". Bundanon Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  8. "Bundanon Reimagined :". Bundanon Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2021.


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