Heide: More than a Museum
One hot day in January, I take myself to Heide. I’m a huge fan of American writer Julia Cameron, who maintains that we all need one ‘Artist’s Date’ per week.
This date can be anything different from your normal routine: a singalong, a swim, a bushwalk or a movie. But it must be undertaken alone so that your creative well is refilled. My Artist Dates tend to be gallery visits, hence my solo visit to Heide.
An Artist’s Date at Heide Museum of Modern Art
Heide is so much more than a museum or gallery. It’s a rural escape, a garden and a repository of a great deal of Victoria’s history.
It’s also a destination for specially curated exhibitions such as the work of iconic WW2 photographer, Lee Millar (in 2024). And now, Molto Bello, a snapshot exhibition showcasing Italian style and design since the 1930s. But more on that later.
Heide is located on the outskirts of Melbourne in Bulleen. Ongoing North-East Link tunnel roadworks mean the approach can be confusing, but I hang in there, and as I turn off Templestowe Road, I’ve entered a peaceful gum-tree fringed car park.
I’m further rewarded by the heady scent of these eucalypts as I head downhill to the main gallery.
Exploring Heide Galleries
Heide boasts five gallery spaces, as the staff at reception explain. The four more linked spaces and, back up the hill, behind the garden walls, the original homestead of Sunday and John Reed, purchased as part of a dairy farm in 1934 .
The Molto Bello exhibition is located in the main gallery as well as the overflow gallery beyond Heide Kitchen. In the Albert Tucker Gallery is an exhibition of Tucker’s work across the years, called ‘Grotesques’ including some other contemporary Australian artists.
And then I hope to see the extensive collection of the work of iconic Australian artists located in the Reeds’ residence. I soon realise that I’ll have my work cut out covering even half of these treasures and that another visit is now on the cards.
Molto Bello: A Celebration of Italian Design
Molto Bello – or very beautiful – is aptly named. I start with the work of Franco Albini – a crystal radio, which meets the edict of fellow designer, Carlo Mollino who said, ‘Everything is permissible as long as it is fantastic!’.
And fantastic it all is – from the ‘Vanity Fair chair’, a fan shaped sofa to Olivetti’s ubiquitous typewriters, a tiny, tiny Fiat Bambino to more modern pieces from the so-called ‘Memphis Milano’ movement and the original beanbag, Il Sacco. Two hours seem to have elapsed and I’m yet to visit the other exhibition spaces…
Molto Bello is an exhibition that will appeal to many Melbourne seniors. It’s jampacked with the colour, movement, life and joy that the Italian diaspora has brought to our city. It’s a lively celebration of Italian style and sensibility. In short, it’s very, very cool!
Grotesques: The Art of Albert Tucker
In the adjacent gallery I visit the ‘Grotesques’ exhibition. Here I learn more about Albert Tucker, his influences and his place in the pantheon of Australian artists. His wife, Joy Hester, also stayed at Heide and created her own individual work there.
The Reed Legacy and Iconic Australian Artists
As I approach the original home where the Reeds first lived, I pass kids playing hide and seek with agile grandparents, picknickers and corrugated iron cows, the work of New Zealand artist, Jeff Thomson.
It’s difficult to do justice to the treasure chest of Australian colonial art shown inside. It was here that Sidney Nolan painted his famous Ned Kelly series, where Charles Blackman and John Percival worked, where Mirka Mora’s stunning glass paintings create a feature wall as you enter.
Time passes as I trace the stories of these artists, their somewhat tangled relationships and enjoy the front room, a library, filled with books collected and enjoyed by the Reeds and their friends. I’m deep in the last century, with only birdsong and the faint hum of freeway traffic to interrupt my reverie.
More Than a Museum: Art, Nature, and Community
As the title suggests, Heide is so much more than a museum. It also has a sculpture trail, a sculpture park and a cottage garden. And in an all-too-rare display of sensitivity, Heide’s Creative Age Programs are designed for people who live with early stage dementia and their carers. The programs assist them to uncover creativity and enhance wellbeing through the experience of art.
Hints on enjoying Heide
- Heide is open seven days a week, from 10-4 weekdays and until 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
- Molto Bello (Icons of Modern Italian Design) is on until 23 March.
- Albert Tucker’s Grotesques is showing until 9 March.
- Art by Twilight is a special Valentines Day experience from 4-8 pm.
- It’s smart to plan your trip before you go.
- Tuesdays are $20 entry for seniors, so that’s a great incentive. If you hold a concession card, you also pay $20, whenever you go.
- On Sundays, Heide also offers a special history tour – which is bookable online.
- You can also do your own research by reading the detailed Wikipedia reference on Heide beforehand.
The Heide Kitchen is a café and lunch spot, with delicious food using ingredients from their own garden. But if funds are tight, consider taking a picnic lunch and thermos; a way of ensuring you’ll enjoy the surrounding gardens even more.
Heide Museum of Modern Art
7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen VIC 3105
03 9850 1500
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The Seniors in Melbourne team was hosted at Heide Museum of Modern Art. All opinions are the writer’s own.
