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2016 Tyler Research Repository

The Tyler Research Repository (TRR) is an online project created and managed by the University of Tasmania and supported by the Tyler Fund, a generous endowment by Geoffrey and Frances Tyler. The project grew from the inaugural 2016 Tyler Research Fellowship. Early on, it became evident that an online and freely accessible archive and virtual exhibition was the best way to organise, display, and share the wealth of fascinating material which was being uncovered and described. With so many themes and stories - the artists, the political/social history, ancient Byzantine roots, and the deep and abiding friendship between two men, Geoffrey Tyler and Corneliu Petrescu - the structural possibilities of a digital research repository were developed and were well-suited to presenting the complex narratives. As well as some 1000 digital images of artworks, catalogues, and books, there are also archival materials, such as correspondence and photos, and research essays which reveal the depth of material and open the collection globally to new discourses. It is significant that the Tyler Collection has travelled across time and place - from 18th century Romania and all corners of post-war Europe, to Washington DC, and now to Tasmania.  In this new iteration it is freely accessible to artists, academics, historians and art-lovers the world over.

We hope this online experience of the Tyler Collection, showcased in the TRR, will prompt comment, enrich further research, and even encourage a visit to Hobart and the University of Tasmania, to see the Collection on display.

Tyler Research Team

  • Rachael Rose Curator of Tyler Collection and Registrar & Keeper, Fine Art Collection, University of Tasmania
  • Lynn Davies Digital Curator - Tyler Collection, Cultural Collections, University of Tasmania
  • Dr Alexandru Popescu Tyler Research Fellow 2016, University of Oxford
  • Distinguished Professor Jeff Malpas Academic Leader - Cultural Collections, University of Tasmania

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful for the ongoing interest and support of Mrs Frances Tyler, without whom the Tyler Collection would not have been developed to create a freely accessible, global research repository.

Heartfelt thanks to Dr Raluca Papagheorghe who provided so much biographical material to Dr Alexandru Popescu and generously shared her precious memories, documents, and photographs of her uncle, Corneliu Petrescu. Dr Popescu would also like to thank and acknowledge the invaluable help of his research assistant, Iona Ramsay.