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2011 Tyler Exhibition

After several months of correspondence between Hobart and Washington DC, Frances and Geoffrey Tyler visited Tasmania in March 2011 to formalize their generous gift of the Tyler Collection to the University of Tasmania. To mark the occasion, selected artworks had been sent to Hobart in order to present an exhibition at the time of their visit, and to give a glimpse of the extraordinary collection to its new audience. A catalogue was designed by the Tylers and printed in Hobart.

The largest single gift ever made to the University, the Tyler Collection consists of approximately 750 artworks and the Tyler Fund of $1 million to finance maintenance, research, and growth of the Collection.

The exhibition ran from 1-16th March at the Plimsoll Gallery, Tasmanian School of Art, Hunter St in Hobart.

It featured the 22 engravings from William Blake’s ‘The Book of Job’ (1825), Arthur Boyd’s painting ‘The Sisters’ (1949), Leonard French’s ‘Three Towers No. 1’ (1960s), and a selection of small works by Corneliu Petrescu.

Geoffrey Tyler gave a moving speech about how his collection developed and grew from his deep, enduring friendship with Petrescu, and how Petrescu’s circle of artist friends welcomed him into their homes and lives during a very bleak period of Romania’s history.

The Tylers’ visit was a successful beginning to the process of donation of the rest of the Collection. Later in the year, the University’s Fine Art Collection curator Rachael Rose visited the Tylers in Washington to view the entire collection, and to further understand the stories and material behind it.

Exhibition

Associated Media Articles

  • UNITAS April 2011 Issue Number 348