Nora Heysen

The Cedars at Hahndorf is the family home of the artist Sir Hans Heysen. For a month Sir Hans' work takes a back seat to his daughter Nora. Nora Heysen was a precocious talent who was the only one of the eight children to follow in her father's footsteps. At 15 when she drew this sketch of her sister, she enrolled in the North Adelaide School of Fine Arts. Within five years she had paintings in three State Galleries. As a 27 year old she became the first woman to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Sir Hans tutored Nora but when she showed that she preferred still life to landscapes he stopped painting still life - in a way giving her artistic room to move. The retrospective is hung in her old studio next to the family home. It is quite personal. Heysen roses from a 70 year old bush in the family garden are the subject of two works. This is the window where her father encouraged her to paint because of the light - one of the works hangs opposite it. There are sketches of four generations of Heysens starting with Sir Hans and ending with grandson Jonathan.

This painting almost resulted in her court martial because during World War Two Nora was a war artist in New Guinea and refused to move out with the unit until she had finished her study. Nora has lived in Sydney since the war and is a very private person. At 87 she intends to outlive and outwork her father who was still painting up until his death at the age of 91. Family friend Allen Campbell has orated the exhibition including several loans from Nora, family and friends. The works may never be collected again and are on show until March 22nd. The Cedars is signposted off the road from Adelaide to Handorf and is open Monday to Friday and Sundays. The Exhibition is free and tours of the home and Sir Hans studio are available. For more information email: info@postcards.sa.com.au