Portrait of a Collection: TarraWarra Museum of Art

TarraWarra Museum of Art in the Yarra Valley holds one of the country's finest collections of Australian art from the 1930s to the present day. Established through the generous donation of founding patrons, the late Marc Besen AC and Eva Besen AO, the museum's collection follows three prevailing themes: landscape, the solitary figure and abstraction.

Many of the artists represented in the collection - including John Brack, Willliam Dobell, Russell Drysdale, Rosalie Gascoigne, John Olsen, Patricia Piccinini, Yhonnie Scarce, Jeffrey Smart and Judy Watson - have been instrumental in shaping the development of modern and contemporary art in Australia.

'I wanted to get to know a lot of artists to find out what motivated them, why they did what they did and how they did it. I found it very fascinating. We had long discussions, particularly with some of them, people like Leonard French, Jan Senbergs, Fred Williams and Albert Tucker.' - Marc Besen AC

This richly illustrated book offers contemporary interpretative lenses on the history of Australian art since the 1930s, bringing the relevance of the collection into the present day.

The Eva and Marc Besen Centre - designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects - will provide visible access to over 300 stored artworks from the collection, opening in late 2024. This large book provides an opportunity to explore and learn about key works from the collection in depth.