MEDIA RELEASE - 24 July 1998
Paradise Possessed: the Rex Nan Kivell Collection
A magnificent exhibition of treasures from one of the world's greatest collections of material relating to the European discovery, exploration and colonisation of the South Pacific opens at the National Library Gallery in Canberra on 6 August.
Paradise Possessed: the Rex Nan Kivell Collection features intricate drawings and romantic landscapes, portraits and prints, manuscripts, books, rare maps and intriguing historical objectsmany on public display for the first time.
The exhibition is a celebration of the centenary of
Rex Nan Kivell's birth and a tribute to this collector of great foresight,
imagination and persistence. By gathering together and repatriating a crucially
significant part of our moveable cultural heritage, Rex Nan Kivell became one
of the greatest collectors and benefactors this country has ever known.
Beginning in London in 1919 until his death in 1977, Sir Rex de Charambac Nan Kivell pursued his magnificent obsession to document, in word and image, the entire European encounter with Australasia and the South Pacific during the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He worked singlehandedly, and at first without great resources, to build his priceless collection, and in doing so triumphed over his early humble beginnings to reinvent himself as the archetypal gentleman connoisseur.
Acquired by the National Library by
purchase and donation from the 1940s to the 1970s, the Nan Kivell collection is
recognised internationally for its historical, artistic and intellectual
significance. National Library Director-General Warren Horton says:
We are the very proud custodians of this collection on behalf of the peoples of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific and are delighted in this important anniversary year to provide the opportunity for some of its riches to again be shared with the wider public.
The exhibition Paradise Possessed, and the accompanying book, explore the diversity and richness of this world class collection, its value to scholarship and the extraordinary vision and tenacity of its creator.
MEDIA CONTACT
- To arrange an interview with curator Michelle Hetherington,
- order a review copy of the book Paradise Possessed: the Rex Nan Kivell Collection,
- arrange a personal tour of the exhibition or to order images from the exhibition,
For further information please contact the Library; or send an email message to: www@nla.gov.au
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