Item #127208 Entrance to Chateau Tanunda [1940]. Robert Emerson CURTIS.
CURTIS, Robert Emerson (1898-1996)

Entrance to Chateau Tanunda [1940]

An original pencil drawing, mounted and matted (visible image size 290 × 190 mm), initialled, dated and captioned in pencil along the bottom edge.

Both the drawing and mat are in fine condition.

'Château Tanunda, birthplace of the Barossa, was established in 1890 and is the site of some of the Valley's first vines planted as well as its first winery. The majestic bluestone winery and vineyards is a living testament to the colourful history and pioneering spirit of Australia's most famous wine region.... Château Tanunda's origins go back to the decimation of Europe's vineyards by the phylloxera plague. Sensing opportunity, the founder's grand vision was to build a Château dedicated to crafting fine quality wines. Château Tanunda would become for a while the largest winery in the Southern Hemisphere. European immigrants had been planting vines in the Barossa since the 1840s, so the region was a natural choice. The resulting wines, made from grapes produced by 560 local growers ... were shipped to a wine starved Europe. Château Tanunda's success was the Barossa's success.

For years it was the heart of Barossa winemaking. A veritable "Ivy League" of Australian winemakers worked or studied at the facility, including Prof. Soebels, Australia's first qualified oenologist; Bill Seppelt; Grant Burge; Geoff Merrill and others. In 1994, in recognition of its rich history, Château Tanunda was placed on the Register of State Heritage Places - but by then its glory days were a memory. Abandoned by its then-owner, Australian wine giant Southcorp, the property was a shell of its former grandeur'. John Geber and his family purchased the property in 1998, and 'The rebirth of Château Tanunda is one of the most remarkable stories of the Australian wine industry' (Huon Hooke, quoted on the company's website). This drawing dates from its glory days ...

Robert Emerson Curtis (1898-1996), English-born Australian artist, architectural draftsman, camouflage officer, and official war artist, emigrated to Queensland in 1914. In 1922 he 'travelled to the USA with his great friend, the pioneer filmmaker, Charles Chauvel. There he developed what was to become a lifelong interest in industrial modernism and on returning to Sydney in 1928 he set about documenting the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.... He painted murals and did industrial illustration in 1932-38, including the series "Australia at Work", which was syndicated in Australian newspapers.... During WWII Curtis recorded working life in the Commonwealth Munition factories (1939-41), worked as Camouflage Officer in Australia and with the RAAF in New Guinea (1941-43), until he was finally appointed an official war artist to record the nation's industrial war-time production (1943-45). More than 200 works are in the Australian War Memorial (AWM) collection' (Design & Art Australia Online).

Item #127208

Price (AUD): $500.00