TarraWarra Museum of Art facts for kids

The TarraWarra Museum of Art is a special art museum. It is located in Healesville, Victoria, Australia. This is about 45 kilometres northeast of Melbourne. The museum was started by two people who loved art and helped others, Eva and Marc Besen. It opened in 2003. TarraWarra is a not-for-profit art gallery. This means it uses all its money to run the museum and show art. It features exciting exhibitions and programs. These shows focus on art from the 1900s and 2000s. The museum is known for its unique exhibitions. It helps both new and famous artists show their work.

History of the Museum

The TarraWarra Museum of Art company was officially registered in 2000. The museum was first launched by Prime Minister John Howard. This happened on April 24, 2002. It was in a temporary spot in North Melbourne at first. They were waiting for their main building to be finished. The museum building was designed by Alan Powell. It opened in 2003.

Who Started TarraWarra?

Eva and Marc Besen founded the museum. They were art lovers and helped many causes. This was Australia's first art museum supported by a large private gift. The Besens not only gave the museum building. They also donated almost 600 Australian artworks. These came from their own private collection.

The Eva and Marc Besen Centre

A new building called the Eva and Marc Besen Centre opened on March 8, 2025. This building is a visible storage area. It holds over 300 artworks from the museum’s main collection. This means you can see many artworks that are not currently on display. The building was designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects.

The Art Collection

Eva and Marc Besen started collecting art in the 1950s. Their collection was shown in the 1970s. People thought it was "One of the country's finest collections of Modern Australian art." Besides the first gift from the Besens, TarraWarra has kept buying new artworks. Pieces from the museum’s collection are sometimes shown in special exhibitions.

Famous Australian Artists

The collection includes works by many well-known Australian artists. Some of these artists are Arthur Boyd, John Brack, and Russell Drysdale. Other artists include Rosalie Gascoigne, Dale Hickey, and Susan Norrie. You can also see art by John Olsen and Patricia Piccinini. The collection also features works by Clifton Pugh, Jeffrey Smart, Brett Whiteley, and Fred Williams.

TarraWarra Biennial Exhibitions

The TarraWarra Biennial started in 2006. Its goal is to find new ideas in modern art. This exhibition has shown the works of over 200 artists. It has had nine exhibitions so far. The Biennial gives guest curators a chance to explore new trends. Each exhibition has its own unique theme and focus.

Past Biennial Highlights

In 2006, Vincent Namatjira's work was shown. It was called Endless circulation. This piece included portraits of seven Prime Ministers of Australia. Other artists like Vernon Ah Kee and Helen Johnson also had work there.

The third Biennial was in 2012. It was called Sonic Spheres. The museum's director, Victoria Lynn, curated it. This exhibition featured 21 art pieces using music, sound, and voice. It included leading Australian sound artists. It also had artists known for other types of art. For example, Angela Mesti's Some Dance to Remember, Some Dance to Forget was featured. Christian Thompson’s Dhagunyilangu – Brother was also shown. He sang it in the Bidjara language.