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Collection Summary

Creator: Heysen, Nora, 1911-2003
Title: Papers of Nora Heysen
Date Range: 1913-2003
Collection number:MS 10041
Extent: 6.5 m. (32 boxes + 3 folio boxes)

 

Introduction

Scope and Content

The papers relate to the life and work of Australian artist Nora Heysen. The papers include letters; photographs; catalogues; newspaper clippings; personal papers (including an extract of her birth certificate); art publications; and sound and video material. The bulk of the collection is a large series of personal correspondence retained by Nora.

Letters were written to Nora by her husband Dr Robert Hughes Black (1917-1988); her parents Sir Hans and Lady Heysen (Selma, later Sallie, née Bartels) and by friends and relatives, some over many years. A large number of letters were written by Nora's former neighbour and close friend, Steven Coorey. Other correspondents include Merv Lilley; her sister Deirdre Cowell; her sister and brother-in-law Freya and Ted Booth; her niece Jill Wittenberg (née Williams) and her god-daughter Meredith Stokes (sometimes Ardley or Ardlie, later Petronella).

Other correspondence relates to Nora's artistic career, including letters from galleries and collecting institutions. Catalogues retained in the collection relate to Nora Heysen's exhibitions in solo and group representation as well as some that relate to the work of her father and fellow artist Sir Hans Heysen.

Arrangement

The collection was received by the Library in 2004. As the collection was in no order upon receipt, it has been organised by the Library into five series: Correspondence; Personal papers; Photographic prints and negatives; Catalogues of exhibitions; and Newspaper clippings. Only the series of correspondence has been further arranged into seven subseries to bring together large amounts of unordered material from named correspondents, in particular Nora Heysen's parents; her husband Dr Robert Black; and several relatives and friends. Letters in these subseries have not been further arranged, other than one subseries from miscellaneous correspondents which has been placed in a rough chronological order.

A large number of greeting cards has been retained as a sub-series of correspondence without further arrangement. Related materials in other series have been grouped together but have not been arranged further. The large amount of image material has been arranged roughly by subject without further sub-arrangement.

Material in other formats, for example audiovisual recordings, have been grouped together without further sub-arrangement.

Access

Permission required for research. Not for loan.

Provenance

Nora Heysen bequeathed the collection to the Library as part of the Heysen Trust in a single instalment in 2004, with the assistance of Lou Klepac, Nora Heysen's executor.

Copying and Publishing

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Related Material

Correspondence with Nora Heysen is held in the Manuscript Collection in the papers of Dorothy Hewett (MS 6184) and related material is held with the papers of Sir Hans Heysen at MS 5073 and MS 8836.

Interviews with Nora Heysen are held in the Oral History Collection at ORAL TRC 191/19, ORAL TRC 3121 and ORAL TRC 1/138; a number of works by Nora Heysen are held in the Pictures Collection; and a biographical clippings file on Nora Heysen is available from the Newspaper and Microform Reading Room.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Nora Heysen, National Library of Australia, MS 10041, [series and folder number]'.

Digitised Material

Three letters from Series 1, subseries 1.3, folders 36 and 37 have been digitised as part of the Library's Treasures Gallery.

The items that have been digitised are available online through this finding aid.

 

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