Take a Look Inside Heide’s Robin Boyd Exhibition

Arguably one of Australia’s most influential and respected architects, Robin Boyd designed more than 300 projects from the 1940s to 1970s. His designs, including civic buildings and residences, incorporated modernist aesthetics; his legacy and craftsmanship can be found throughout Australia. 

Boyd is perhaps best known for his stunning modernist houses, introducing open-plan living to Australian suburbia. He was also a writer, teacher and social commentator, aiming to bring awareness of good design to the wider public. He challenged traditional tastes and wrote nine books including The Australian Ugliness (1960), a critique of Australian suburban architecture. 

In celebration of the centenary since Boyd’s birth in Warrandyte, Victoria, in 1919, Heide Museum of Modern Art is showcasing ten of his most exceptional houses in the exhibition Robin Boyd: Design Legend. Set in the iconic building Heide II, the exhibition features photographs of Boyd’s stunning houses by acclaimed architectural photographers including Mark Strizic and Wolfgang Sievers. 

The striking images explore Boyd’s key design themes and are displayed alongside floor plans, architectural models and a short film created for the exhibition. A new range of Boyd-inspired furniture made by K5+Kinnarps is also on display.

The photographs reveal Boyd’s love of open-space living, walls of windows, tall sweeping ceilings, layered mezzanine spaces and complementary textures such as wood, concrete and brick. His houses are just as functional as they are beautiful and are often split into different zones depending on how they’re used and to be lived in. 

Scattered throughout Heide II, the black and white images are mesmerising. They reveal the breathtaking beauty and timelessness of Boyd’s design vision. One only wishes there were more photographs or more houses featured in the exhibition.

The architectural models, created by RMIT architecture students, offer a 3D glimpse into Boyd’s projects. They highlight impressive design features such as the glass ceiling in the Featherston house (1967) and the curved internal walls in the Dower house (1966).

Robin Boyd: Design Legend, in partnership with the Robin Boyd Foundation, will be accompanied by a tailored public program including open home events for a number of the houses featured in the exhibition.

Robin Boyd: Design Legend
Till Sunday, 1 December 2019
Her Majesty’s Theatre, 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, 3000
heide.com.au/exhibitions/robin-boyd-design-legend