HERITAGE ORDERS
Landscape and legend The ancestral home of Sir Hans Heysen is an art and nature lover’s pilgrimage, lovingly preserved by the great painter’s family. By Rod e ri ck Ei me, ph otog r aph y Rod eri ck Ei me & Ken B r a s s
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HERITAGE ORDERS
THESE PAGES: Frugality born of necessity shaped the young Hans Heysen’s (pictured below) career. As his stature grew, he was able to settle with his family at The Cedars near Handorf in the Barossa Valley.
T
he word iconic gets bandied about endlessly in the lexicon of hyperbole. But we can safely say Sir Hans Heysen rates as the real deal when it comes to the cream of Australian landscape artists. Similarly, the expression, humble
beginnings, is all-too-often attributed to anyone who rose from modest means to some degree of notoriety. Here again, Hans fills the bill. In fact, Hans, his parents and siblings became adept at changing addresses at two in the morning in order to evade their back rent. Hans, perhaps as a result of his parents’ necessary frugality,
learned to paint for both pleasure and profit to the point where his successful 1912 solo exhibition in Melbourne netted sales in excess of £1500 (approximately AU$334,390 today). After the failure of his Adelaide exhibitions, this welcome windfall enabled him and his wife, Sallie, to return to South Australia and purchase The Cedars, a 36-acre (14.5-hectare) property near Hahndorf in the verdant Adelaide Hills, about 30 kilometres from Adelaide’s CBD. It is here on a splendid spring afternoon that Dr Peter Heysen, a sharp and spritely octogenarian and the eldest grandson of the famous painter, takes Australian Country on a guided tour. We stroll around what he refers to as a “rambling cottage garden” planted mainly with exotic species, most notably the massive Himalayan cedars that give the property its name.
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THESE PAGES: The artist’s home and studio are preserved as a living museum, giving the visitor the impression that the family has just ducked out briefly and may return at any minute.
Hikers can take any of the artist’s walks, which feature vistas painted by Hans as well as favoured locations. One spot is the lone gum and there’s a pastel depiction of it in the house. The shady pond is another. This serene location is where the cattle once drank and is surrounded by candle bark gums. Rose lovers should visit in November to enjoy the spectacle of the garden in full colour. There are more than 100 different varieties, many collected by Hans himself in the 1920s from cuttings he found at the Hahndorf cemetery. Old-fashioned roses were his favourites. “The garden certainly reflects Grandfather’s love of both nature and art,” Peter says. “He enjoyed working the soil himself. The stonework paths, walls, steps and borders of quartz and sandstone you see were all his own work.” While the famous Souvenir de la Malmaison, sometimes referred to as the Heysen Rose, and other fragrant Bourbon roses are yet to bud, we can see lilacs, irises and old-fashioned perennials in abundance. Roses feature prominently throughout Han’s work as well as that of his gifted daughter Nora, the fourth of nine children who also grew up here and
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HERITAGE ORDERS
often use it as a model for other paintings. This particular THESE PAGES: As the eldest grandchild, Dr Peter Heysen is both the keeper of the family history and a regular visitor to what was the family home for many decades.
one was about to be cut down for fences and, unfortunately before Grandfather could negotiate to buy and save it, it was cut down and made into the 400 posts the landowner so badly needed. “Of course, Grandfather was bitterly disappointed at the outcome and refused to finish the painting, leaving this unfinished oil painting as both a protest and a memorial
became a celebrated painter in her own right, becoming the first woman to win the Archibald Prize in 1938 with her portrait of Mme Elink Schuurman. Huffing and puffing slightly, we make our way up to the
works, mostly from his early period (1908-1920s), comprising a range of media including pencil, chalk, conté, watercolour and oil as well as his favoured medium, charcoal. Many
after purchasing The Cedars. A small mob of Eastern Grey
personal effects and correspondence are contained in the
kangaroos munches contentedly on the lush grass barely
cabinets and desk, capturing a snapshot of his life just as
paying us heed.
it was in the early 20th century. We proceed back across the pasture to the house, which has
superb light bathing every corner of the purpose-built studio.
been preserved almost as if the inhabitants might just emerge
Enormous panes of European etched glass filter the sunlight
from behind a door and take a seat at the perfectly set table.
through giant south-facing windows, producing an even,
While the building itself dates to the 1860s, the Heysens made
subtle glow ideal for visual arts.
substantial changes to accommodate their large and growing
The centrepiece of the studio is Han’s original easel,
family. The interior furniture and decorations as well as the
standing exactly as it has done for more than a century. On the
façade are described as the most intact example of domestic
easel is an unfinished landscape with its own story. Peter sits
Federation Arts and Crafts style in Australia and remain
comfortably on his grandfather’s stool exactly as the patriarch
much as they were in the 1920s.
would have done. “Grandfather, as everyone knows, was a great admirer and
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Arranged around the central easel are numerous other
freestanding studio, built from local bluestone by Hans soon
The first thing you notice, whether consciously or not, is the
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to the great old gum tree.”
On the wall overlooking the entire room is a most impressive painting of roses hanging above the fireplace.
an advocate of the area’s magnificent eucalypts,” he explains.
Just as it caught my eye, it also caught the eye of someone
“When starting a painting, he would first sketch the tree and
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THIS PAGE: Peter enjoys an encounter with his younger self. His grandparents were frequent entertainers and hosted celebrities at The Cedars.
“The Heysens were great entertainers and it was quite
had it completely restored in the 1980s.” Officially, for those
common for them to host celebrities and dignitaries,” Peter
who revel in such detail, it’s an Eicke & Provis folding fly-
says, glancing at the painting. Clearly, there is a story coming.
proof caravan built by the company at its Parkside factory.
“One evening, a particularly well-known prima donna
Before thanking Peter for his time and insight, we inspect
was the special guest and she declared most emphatically
the rear of the gift shop where Nora once had her studio.
she wanted that painting and, to reinforce her sincerity,
While Nora matched her father’s talent for still life and
she produced a cheque book and wrote Grandfather a
nature, she also excelled in portraiture, attested to by
blank cheque despite his insisting it wasn’t for sale. He
the many superb pieces adorning the walls of the studio.
once told me he kept the paintings he loved and sold the
“Do you recognise this face?” Peter asks with a hint of
rest to pay the bills. This was one he loved. In an attempt
mischief crossing his own face. I inspect the cherubic face of
to appease his honoured guest, he offered to paint one
the child closely. Dazzling blue eyes are framed by a flawless
just like it and he sent it to her in Europe sometime later.
blond page-boy haircut. “No,” I reply meekly. “Is it someone
To everyone’s surprise, she returned it. That was Dame
famous?” “Not really,” says Peter with a smirk. “It’s me.” ac
Nellie Melba.” Before heading to the gift shop and Nora’s studio, we swing by the former coach house, where Peter delights in revealing
4.30pm. Guided tours run at 11am and 2pm. To book, email
his grandfather’s Ford Model A and custom-built pop-up
contactus@hansheysen.org.au or call (08) 8388 7277. Work is
camper trailer, both restored to pristine condition. These were
due to begin soon on a new, $9 million gallery and heritage
used extensively by the artist in the 1930s during his many
museum, a short walk from the entrance. International
trips to the Flinders Ranges.
architecture and design firm Snøhetta has won the contract
“When we found the camper, it was being used as a bird aviary, so was in something of a poor state,” Peter says. “We
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The Cedars is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to
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to design and construct the facility expected to open in 2023. For more information, visit hansheysen.com.au.