Back in late January 2011 I was able, after a few months wait, to visit the
Lyon House Museum in Kew, an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne. I had read about it in the local paper and was keen to visit as this was an entirely new concept for me.
Essentially it is a private home that doubles as an art gallery. The owners, Corbett and Yeuji Lyon live there with their children and, a few days a week, run personalised tours lasting about an hour, for groups of around twenty people, to view their collection of Australian contemporary art. Visitors pay $22 and there are fairly strict rules regarding photograpy and bags etc.
On the whole its a very enjoyable experience. Fascinating as much for the architecture as for the art collection. I mean, how does one combine the long vistas and uncluttered spaces required to properly appreciate artwork, with the untidy intimacy of a family home? This is resolved partially by keeping bedrooms and bathrooms off limits in a series of "boxes" within the larger structure which also has dedicated exhibition spaces, a music room with a built in pipe organ and a video installation room which is used by the children for film watching and sleepovers!
As for the art collection itself, I am sure its very important, with an emphasis on large, colourful slightly abstract works, sculptures by Patricia Piccinini, photography and a huge Howard Arkley. Whilst I have to confess that the collection is not really to my taste, having a fairly architectural, hard edged masculine feel to it, overall it was congruent- both internally and with the house- and humorous, and I enjoyed the challenge of examining and appreciating works that would not usually have interested me.
As there was no photography allowed on the day I have cut and pasted the following from
Architecture Australia Jan-Feb 2010 which also has an interesting article about the museum..
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The white cube-like exhibition space (with a bedroom at the end of the corridor behind a closed door) |
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The music room with the pipe organ at right |
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The dining room, featuring a huge Howard Arkley painting |
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The black cube-like video installation room |
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Patricia Piccinini, "truck babies" in the living room (kitchen behind) |