Robin Boyd: Design Legend: Heide II, Bulleen
An important survey exhibition at Heide forms part of the centenary celebrations for one of Australia’s most respected and best known architects, Robin Boyd. Author of the influential text The Australian Ugliness (1960), a polarising text then and now, Boyd is widely regarded as one of the nation’s first public intellectuals and media celebrities. Throughout his illustrious career he designed more than 300 projects, from residences to civic buildings, including Featherston House, belonging to designers Gant and Mary Featherston. Robin Boyd: Design Legend, presented in the modernist building Heide II, explores some of Boyd’s key design themes and principles through ten of his most remarkable houses, including Featherston House (1967–9), the influential House of Tomorrow (1949) and Boyd’s own house in Walsh Street, South Yarra (1958). The exhibition also offers insight into his work in other disciplines, from publishing and broadcasting to furniture and exhibition design. As well as photographs and drawings of each of the 10 houses, the exhibition includes architectural models created by RMIT architecture students; a short film on Boyd produced specifically for the project by Earl Carter and Garry Emery; a new range of Boyd furniture made under licence by KFive+Kinnarps; and original archival material. Robin Boyd: Design Legend is accompanied by a tailored public program, a highlight of which is a series of open home events at a number of the houses featured in the exhibition. Robin Boyd: Design Legend runs until October 27, 2019 at Heide II, Bulleen, Victoria.
