The Rescue

The majority of Beckett’s most experimental paintings, executed between 1930 and 1934, were burnt following her sudden death. The approximately 2000 paintings that remained in her estate were stored in a shed at the family’s property, near Benalla in rural Victoria.

The paintings remained untouched at this site for over thirty years until a chance encounter saw them rediscovered by Rosalind Hollinrake in around 1970. Just over 370 works were salvaged from this tomb-like space and lovingly returned to their former glory, to again be shared with Australian audiences.

Adelaide artist Peter Drew was commissioned to record this time-lapse sequence in rural South Australia for the exhibition as a symbolic memorial to the legacy of Clarice Beckett. It is a potent reminder of loss, love and the fragility of the fearless creative act.