TarraWarra Museum of Art

The TarraWarra Museum of Art is an art museum in Healesville, Victoria, 45 kilometres northeast of Melbourne. It was founded by philanthropists and art collectors, Eva and Marc Besen. Opened in 2003, TarraWarra is a not-for-profit art gallery that features inventive and stimulating exhibitions and programs about twentieth and twenty-first century art. The museum has built a reputation for presenting a unique program of exhibitions curated to inspire curiosity and support emerging and established artists to make new work. History TarraWarra Museum of Art Limited was registered in 2000. The museum was formally launched by Prime Minister John Howard on 24 April 2002 in a temporary location in North Melbourne, awaiting completion of a purpose-built museum in the Yarra Valley. The museum building, designed by Alan Powell from architecture firm Powell & Glenn, was opened in 2003. Founded by philanthropists Eva Besen AO and Marc Besen AC who had been collecting Australian art since 1960s, it was the first museum of art in Australia supported by a significant private endowment. Collection Eva and Marc Besen began collecting art in the 1950s. When exhibited in the 1970s, their collection was considered "One of the country's finest collections of Modern Australian art." In addition to the initial gift from the Besen's collection, TarraWarra has continued to acquire works. Artworks from the museum's collection are occasionally featured in scheduled exhibitions. The collection includes works by notable Australian artists, such as Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Russell Drysdale, Rosalie Gascoigne, Dale Hickey, Susan.