Art Experience

Visible Art Storage

The TarraWarra Museum of Art Collection is one of Australia’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary art, spanning from the 1930s to today. Established through the generous donation of over 600 artworks by founding patrons Eva Besen AO and the late Marc Besen AC, the Collection continues to grow and evolve.

Now open to the public, the Eva and Marc Besen Centre offers behind-the-scenes tours of the Collection through an innovative display system featuring 64 art storage racks positioned behind a 46-metre-long glass wall. Visitors can explore a curated selection of rarely seen works by some of the country’s most important artists — and gain insight into how collections are preserved and presented.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour and discover the heart of TarraWarra’s Collection.

Exhibitions

We champion curatorial freedom and offer an intimate, sensory experience that sets the stage for visitors to appreciate and learn about original and iconic artworks up close and immerse themselves in Australian art, architecture, First Nations culture and Country. The Museum produces nationally and internationally significant and unique thought-provoking exhibitions that provide fresh perspectives on the visual arts. Drawing inspiration from our location, exemplary collection and current ideas, we aim to engage with audiences to develop a deeper understanding of the worlds that artists create.

Sculptures

A circular walking path, designed by Kate Seddon Landscape Design, guides visitors through the Museum’s natural surroundings and outdoor artworks. Starting near the lower carpark, the path leads past Callum Morton’s Valhalla (2007) and crosses the entry road, where Jeffrey Smart-inspired arrows continue as arrow-shaped steps up the hill.

The walk then enters the new sculpture garden near the Eva and Marc Besen Centre, designed by Oculus and Craig Murphy Wandin. Along this section of the path, visitors encounter major sculptures from the TarraWarra collection: Clement Meadmore’s Portal (1994), Antony Gormley’s Witness IV (2012), Robert Klippel’s No.264b (1971) and Lenton Parr’s Aquila (1986). These works are thoughtfully placed within the landscape and invite moments of reflection along the way.

From the sculpture garden, the path continues through the Museum courtyard, framed by tall concrete pillars, before descending past the vines to the lake. A deck by the water offers a quiet place to pause, before the path loops back in a gentle curve inspired by Clement Meadmore’s Awakening (1968), returning to the lower carpark.

This walk is free to enjoy during Museum opening hours and offers a relaxed way to experience the art, architecture and environment of TarraWarra.

Architecture

Designed by Allan Powell, TarraWarra Museum of Art gently arcs away from the earth, following the contours and colours of the surrounding landscape. Reflecting on the Museum and its unique context in a 2017 interview, Powell observed: “It’s not a building, it’s a state of mind.”

In 2024, the Museum expanded with the opening of the Eva and Marc Besen Centre, designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects. This new facility serves as a cultural hub, featuring visible art storage of over 300 artworks from the Museum’s collection, along with multipurpose learning and performance spaces.

Kerstin Thompson described the Centre as a companion to the original museum: “The new building has always been conceived as a companion to the original museum. We ensured the two relate harmoniously, with the museum remaining the focal point while the new Centre enhances and extends its purpose.”