Lyon House Museum, Melbourne

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..

The white cube-like exhibition space (with a bedroom at the end of the corridor behind a closed door)

The music room with the pipe organ at right

The dining room, featuring a huge Howard Arkley painting

The black cube-like video installation room

Patricia Piccinini, "truck babies" in the living room (kitchen behind)

Criss Canning revisited

Last year a really lovely painting by Criss Canning sold at Leonard Joel for A$19,200 with the buyers premium ( I work nearby on viewing day- fatal) Entitled "Iris and wallflowers 1983-1984." It combines some of my favorite things- colour, persimmons, flowers, a lovely arrangement and what looks like a Phillippa James jug in the foreground!  It renewed my desire to eventually buy and enjoy a very little one of my own.

Last week one popped up on Grays online via Deutscher and Hackett and I got excited-It was one that had twice before failed to sell at auction and I am not sure why except to say that is very small for $3500, only 24x16cm.

Then, just to confuse matters two small ones came up in the Leonard Joel sunday art sale of feb 27th; These were even tinier, about 12.5 x 23 cm and estimated at $800-1200; quite affordable. Both eventually sold just within the estimates, but not to me. I was convinced by my husband to wait and save for a larger one and by then the Grays online one had gone. I comforted myself with the thought I would buy a Gwen Watson possum, which i also missed out on!

One day, one day I will buy a Criss Canning, but meanwhile here are the ones that got away..