NSW: Australian art collection by French revolutionary

AAP General News (Australia)
04-03-2001
NSW: Australian art collection by French revolutionary

By Roz King

SYDNEY, April 3 AAP - Exiled French revolutionary Lucien Henry was only in Australia
for 12 years but in that time he produced one of Australia's most comprehensive art collections.

That collection, including about 600 works, opens tomorrow at Sydney's Powerhouse museum.

Henry was a young art student in France when he helped lead an uprising to defend the
Paris Commune in 1872.

As punishment, he was exiled to Noumea for six years in 1873 and on his release came
to Sydney in 1879.

Between 1879 and 1891, Henry produced over 100 water colour designs, designed statues,
gates, ceilings, columns and even a crematorium, and became the first lecturer in art
at Sydney Technical College.

He returned to his homeland in 1891 and never returned to Australia, which by then
had been struck by the Depression.

Henry's main interest was promoting Australian independence and federation, two decades
before Federation in 1901, said Ann Stephen, the museum's curator of Social History and
author of "Visions of a Republic: The Works of Lucien Henry".

Many of his designs feature blood-red waratahs, the floral emblem of New South Wales,
and other Australian symbols such as emu eggs and the Southern Cross.

His most prominent works today are two stained glass windows in Sydney Town Hall.

Most of Henry's works had been hidden until recent years.

In 1977, a chance discovery in a storage room uncovered a collection of 100 water colours,
beautifully preserved.

"Basically a brown paper parcel was found," Ms Stephen said.

"(The parcel) had probably been there for about 50 years.

"It was unwrapped and out of this brown paper parcel we found these glorious water colours.

"The museum's had them (since then), but it's taken us a long time to figure out exactly
what to do with them.

"It seemed appropriate to use the Centenary of Federation because so much of his imagery
is about imagining a future Australia."

The exhibition took about five years to put together, she said.

"I think (Henry's) significance has been in championing an Australian school of art,
architecture and design.

"I think it's across that spectrum because he was not only an artist but a teacher
and someone who acted very much in the public domain."

The exhibition runs for six months.

AAP rk/jjs/mg/de

KEYWORD: HENRY (ARTS FEATURE WITH PIX)

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