The exhibition David Boyd: his life, his work, his family was conceived through a series of conversations with Boyd before his death and is presented in association with Eva Breuer Art Dealer. David Boyd OAM (1924-2011) passed away last year at the age of 87 years and this exhibition celebrates his life’s work, along with four generations of Boyd family paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics. This exhibition will present not only works by David Boyd but will also include works by the members of his extended family – from his grand-parents through four generations to his own children. Many of the over 130 works in David Boyd: his life, his work, his family are from the David and Hermia Boyd collection, along with works from public and private collections.
Born in 1924, David Boyd was one of five children to potters Merric and Doris Boyd. His brothers Arthur and Guy, and sisters Lucy and Mary, all carried on the family’s artistic traditions as painters, potters, sculptors, ceramic artists and photographers. Mary Boyd was also married to artist John Perceval and then to Sidney Nolan.
David began his professional career in music before turning to pottery, collaborating with his wife Hermia, in a partnership that was to receive international acclaim while influencing the development of ceramic art in Australia. His painting career commenced when he created a series on the Australian explorers in the 1950s and he exhibited almost annually until 2001. Boyd believed that through art one could express their philosophical and political views and his sense of social justice was evident in his chosen subjects including the fate of the Tasmanian aborigines, the role of the legal system in the Trial series and the Exile series which examine the sense of identity and complexities of belonging.
Throughout his lifetime David Boyd won significant international recognition and was honored with a landmark retrospective held at the Commonwealth Institute of Art, London, in 1969. He is represented in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; all state and many regional galleries; as well as international galleries around the world.
In conjunction with the exhibition a 346 colour page, fully illustrated catalogue to accompany the exhibition has been published. A new release by Hardie Grant is An Open House: Recollections Of My Early Life – a personal memoir by David Boyd of growing up in the Boyd family, Australia’s pre-eminent artistic dynasty.
PUBLIC PROGRAM – Sunday afternoons @ the Gallery, 3pm
Sunday 19th August
Join Nicky McWilliams, Eva Breuer Art Dealer, for a floor talk as she discusses the works in the exhibition.
Sunday 26th August
Join Jennifer Thompson, Bundanon Trust, as she discusses the legacy of the Boyd family to Australian cultural life.
Sunday 9th September
Join author Darleen Bungey, Arthur Boyd: A Life, as she discusses the early years of the Boyd family.
Sunday 16th September
Being a Boyd – Join David Boyd’s daughters, Cassandra and Lucinda, for an intimate look at what it was like growing up in the Boyd family dynasty.
Sunday 23rd September
Join Dr Grace Cochrane, ceramics expert, former curator Powerhouse Museum, as she discusses the ceramic works of David Boyd.
David Boyd – List of works can be found here.