A remarkable collection of landscape paintings is set to be revealed for the first time in five years. Hidden from view for many years, Narrogin’s Carol Taylor created a secret cache of paintings, etchings and drawings that matches the quality of many public collections.
Inspired by celebrated collector-philanthropist Sir Claude Hotchin, Carol drew on his belief that regional communities benefit from access to ‘good pictures’, as well as his preference for Australian pastoral landscapes.
Carol’s husband Peter only discovered the scale of her secret in 2002 when the couple moved into town from their farm. As a tribute to her memory, he donated the entire collection of over 100 works to the Shire of Narrogin in 2015.
Living and working on the land: a countrywoman’s passion revealed presents the Carol and Peter Taylor Collection for only the second time since it was first unveiled in Narrogin in 2016.
Featuring notable artists and art world luminaries such as Hans Heysen, Henri Van Raalte, Robert Campbell, Harald Vike, Hal Missingham, Bella Kelly, Frank Norton, artists from the Hermannsburg School of Painting in Central Australia, and works by many regional artists, Living and working on the land reflects countrywoman Carol Taylor’s deep attachment to the natural environment, pastoral landscapes and her local community.
“Carol created an art collection comprising works of national and regional significance. My role as exhibition curator is to share the story of this remarkable legacy,” says Dr Diana McGirr. “Carol was also an active member of the local naturalist’s club for many years, documenting hundreds of botanical specimens. Her photographs and notebooks augment an important record of floral species compiled with friends and collaborators who were equally passionate about establishing a regional herbarium. We’re planning to include some of this material in the exhibition to illustrate her range of interests.”
An illustrated catalogue published by Arts Narrogin for the 2016 exhibition Landscapes from a Locked Room: the Carol and Peter Taylor Collection will be available for purchase.
Living and working on the land: a countrywoman’s passion revealed will be on show at NEXIS (Narrogin Exhibition Space, Western Australia from 6 September until 14 October. NEXIS is open from 10am to 4pm Wednesdays to Saturdays. An illustrated catalogue published by Arts Narrogin for the 2016 exhibition Landscapes from a Locked Room: the Carol and Peter Taylor Collection will be available for purchase.
Accessibility assistance is available upon request. Out of the three exhibition rooms, two will be made accessible.