Montsalvat
Encyclopedia
Montsalvat is an artist colony in Eltham, Victoria
, Australia
, established by Justus Jorgensen
in 1934. It is home to over a dozen buildings, houses and halls set amongst richly established gardens on 48,562 m2 (12 acres) of land. The colony of Montsalvat has a detailed history that reflects the life of Justus Jörgensen
and his friends and family; there is also a legend behind its name, while its buildings and gardens are steeped in the art and culture of Melbourne
and its surroundings.
Visitors can pay a small fee to walk throughout the colony's historical gardens, artists' houses/workshops and explore the surrounding buildings. All of the buildings on the site were designed and built by residents with locally available materials, from various sources. The Great Hall offers an extensive network of spaces from extravagant halls and vast exhibition spaces, to small corridors and tiny balconies overlooking the gardens.
Currently Montsalvat's grounds and buildings are mostly used for exhibitions, performances, conferences, seminars, weddings and receptions; however, many artists (such as Luthiers, Jewelers, Painters, Sculptors and a Writer
) continue to reside in Montsalvat. Several classes on various disciplines of art are offered year round by the resident artists.
mythology
. In the opera "Parsifal", by German composer Richard Wagner
, Montsalvat is the castle, built by Titurel, where the Holy Grail is protected; and in his namesake opera, Lohengrin (in Act III) sings of it as home. In the English legend of "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
", Montsalvat is mentioned as the home of the Holy Grail. Though established only in 1934, Montsalvat has created its own myths and legends.
with a Melbourne firm of architects, Schreiber & Co. Later, he turned his talents to painting, enrolling at the National Gallery School of Art in Melbourne, whose principal was a leading member of the Heidelberg School
of Artists, Frederick McCubbin
. In 1917, after hearing an important lecture by the artist Max Meldrum
, Jörgensen decided to join the Meldrum Studio.
In 1924 Jörgensen married a medical student from Brisbane
, Lillian Smith. In the same year the couple travelled to Europe
with a group of artist friends including John and Polly Farmer, Colin Colahan and Archie Colquhoun. The group painted their way across Italy
, Spain
, France
and England
. In their travels they visited many of the great European Galleries to study the old and modern masters of European painting. Meldrum joined the group while they were painting in Cassis, a small French village near the Mediterranean coast. Later, some of them moved to Paris
where Jörgensen established himself in a studio at 147 Rue Broca in the 13th Arrondissement.
He returned to Australia
in 1929. During this period, Jörgensen enjoyed considerable success both in Paris
and London
, with exhibitions at several major galleries including being hung at the prestigious Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
in both 1926 and 1927, a rare honor for an Australian. The influences of this period in Europe are apparent both in his painting and in the architecture
of Montsalvat. Jörgensen bought a home and studio in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Brighton
and later leased an old warehouse in Queen Street, Melbourne as his city studio where he could work and teach.
In 1956 the studio had to be vacated when the building was demolished to make way for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria
(RACV). The Queen Street classes had attracted many students and the studio had become an important hub of intellectual and bohemian
life in conservative Melbourne. Jörgensen had continued to accept architectural work and in 1934 while working on the design and construction of a studio in Eltham
for the painter and cartoonist Percy Leason, he decided that it was here he wanted to live, and so the Montsalvat dream began. Jörgensen invited his students and friends to join him in Eltham where he harnessed their collective enthusiasm in the building of Montsalvat.
Among those early students and friends were author and critic Mervyn Skipper, his wife Lena and their three children - Helen, Sonia and Matcham. Arthor Munday, George Charlmers, Lesley Sinclair, Sue Vanderkelen, Ian Robertson, Helen Lempriere, John Smith, John Busst and Myra Skipper. Percy Leason and his family lived next door and then there were the many friends who came to join in the work and the camaraderie of the camp. Two notable Australian artists said to be associated with Montsalvat were Leonard French
and Albert Tucker
.
) and pisé de terre (rammed earth
) and it was cheap, so he set his students to work. He dispatched Arthur Munday, to the State Library in Melbourne to research the technique. There was little written material available, as the methods has been handed down from father to son. Arthur finally found in the writings of the ancient Roman
historian Pliny
some of the information they were looking for...
Slate
for the roofs came from a friend's recently demolished house, discarded fire bricks, tiles and other material came from other sites. The recently demolished Bijou Theatre (in Bourke Street) proved a rich resource which provided the beautiful cast iron
circular staircase, architrave mouldings and some of the doors and windows. Helen Lempriere's family donated materials and money to build the ornamental pond. The many doors that open onto the pond area are from the cubicles that were the students' bedrooms, which have now been combined into one long studio. (The original inhabitants' initials can be seen on the front doorstep of each room). The small bluestone
tower, limestone
studio and Long Gallery were added later to form the closed courtyard.
was uncovered. The unique ochre
tones of the stone inspired Jörgensen to re-design and the resulting larger structure was the Great Hall. He was fortunate in that Whelan the Wrecker
s were demolishing the charming Royal Insurance Building which stood at 414, Collins Street, Melbourne, which contained the limestone windows and the stone balconies carved in the Gothic manner, that now adorn the Great Hall and give it its unique character. Students carved other windows and the gargoyles, which incorporated the traditional grotesque faces as seen in medieval architecture
.
Extra stone for the walls came from a nearby quarry and the bluestone
, granite
and limestone
from demolition sites across Melbourne. Some of the flagstones and roofing slates had originally been shipped from Ireland
and Wales
as ballast
aboard the sailing ships that serviced Australia
in the 19th century.
At the outbreak of World War II
, work on the Great Hall ceased. Some of the students enlisted in the armed forces while others assisted on the home front. Montsalvat was turned into a farm and market garden. Jörgensen and his now smaller 'team' turned their creative abilities to these new projects, building the barns and sheds. Materials were scarce, but they managed to scrounge odd bits and pieces - from discarded broken bricks and rusty galvanized iron to timber poles cut from the bush. Additional to the market garden was the dairy and poultry farm with the produce being sold through the local markets.
The Department of the Army took an interest and allowed a skilled joiner and cabinetmaker, Phil Taffe to help with the project. Phil, although almost blind, worked on the new buildings and helped make some of the refectory
tables, stools, carved chairs and other furniture that can be seen in the Great Hall today.
After the war, work on the Great Hall and other building recommenced. The slate floor in the hall and the wooden floors above were finally put in place. Students were given the task of carving the corbels and other embellishments around the windows and doors as part of their training. Local tradesmen joined the team, as did some new students and aspiring artists fresh back from the horrors of the war, like Clifton Pugh
, Gordon Ford and Joe Hannan and tradesmen Horry Judd, Bill Floyd, Wallt Stephens, Ken Howard, plus several refugees from Europe and Asia.
, and is used by many professionals and amateurs alike. Personal photography and art using the grounds and buildings as the subject matter is encouraged, however, commercial uses must first be negotiated as fees usually apply.
Montsalvat has been one of the filming locations for two vampire films, Thirst
in 1979, and Queen of the Damned.
Was used for the opening scenes of John D. Lamond
's "Ozploitation" film, Felicity
(1979).
Often used as a backdrop for locally produced pornography shoots.
and burnt down. It was subsequently rebuilt and now forms the main entrance and exhibition space known as the Barn Gallery. This is now where the majority of exhibitions and performances are held today.
Eltham, Victoria
Eltham is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Eltham had a population of 17,581....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, established by Justus Jorgensen
Justus Jorgensen
Justus Jorgensen was an Australian artist and architectHe was born in East Brighton, Melbourne. He was a student of Max Meldrum.He is best known for establishing the notorious artist colony Montsalvat, located in Eltham....
in 1934. It is home to over a dozen buildings, houses and halls set amongst richly established gardens on 48,562 m2 (12 acres) of land. The colony of Montsalvat has a detailed history that reflects the life of Justus Jörgensen
Justus Jorgensen
Justus Jorgensen was an Australian artist and architectHe was born in East Brighton, Melbourne. He was a student of Max Meldrum.He is best known for establishing the notorious artist colony Montsalvat, located in Eltham....
and his friends and family; there is also a legend behind its name, while its buildings and gardens are steeped in the art and culture of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and its surroundings.
Visitors can pay a small fee to walk throughout the colony's historical gardens, artists' houses/workshops and explore the surrounding buildings. All of the buildings on the site were designed and built by residents with locally available materials, from various sources. The Great Hall offers an extensive network of spaces from extravagant halls and vast exhibition spaces, to small corridors and tiny balconies overlooking the gardens.
Currently Montsalvat's grounds and buildings are mostly used for exhibitions, performances, conferences, seminars, weddings and receptions; however, many artists (such as Luthiers, Jewelers, Painters, Sculptors and a Writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
) continue to reside in Montsalvat. Several classes on various disciplines of art are offered year round by the resident artists.
Etymology
The name Montsalvat features in both German and EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. In the opera "Parsifal", by German composer Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Montsalvat is the castle, built by Titurel, where the Holy Grail is protected; and in his namesake opera, Lohengrin (in Act III) sings of it as home. In the English legend of "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table can refer to:*The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table*King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table , a 1979 Japanese anime series...
", Montsalvat is mentioned as the home of the Holy Grail. Though established only in 1934, Montsalvat has created its own myths and legends.
Justus Jörgensen
Montsalvat is the creation of Justus Jörgensen and the inspired work of many hands. Born in 1894, Jörgensen trained as an architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
with a Melbourne firm of architects, Schreiber & Co. Later, he turned his talents to painting, enrolling at the National Gallery School of Art in Melbourne, whose principal was a leading member of the Heidelberg School
Heidelberg School
The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The movement has latterly been described as Australian Impressionism....
of Artists, Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin was an Australian painter who was prominent in the Heidelberg School, one of the more important periods in Australia's visual arts history....
. In 1917, after hearing an important lecture by the artist Max Meldrum
Max Meldrum
Duncan Max Meldrum was a Scottish born Australian painter. He is known as the founder of Australian Tonalism, a representational style of painting, as well as his portrait work, for which he won the Archibald Prize in 1939 and 1940.-Early Life and Training:Meldrum was born in Edinburgh, Scotland,...
, Jörgensen decided to join the Meldrum Studio.
In 1924 Jörgensen married a medical student from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Lillian Smith. In the same year the couple travelled to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with a group of artist friends including John and Polly Farmer, Colin Colahan and Archie Colquhoun. The group painted their way across Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In their travels they visited many of the great European Galleries to study the old and modern masters of European painting. Meldrum joined the group while they were painting in Cassis, a small French village near the Mediterranean coast. Later, some of them moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where Jörgensen established himself in a studio at 147 Rue Broca in the 13th Arrondissement.
He returned to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1929. During this period, Jörgensen enjoyed considerable success both in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with exhibitions at several major galleries including being hung at the prestigious Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
Royal Academy summer exhibition
The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the summer months of June, July, and August...
in both 1926 and 1927, a rare honor for an Australian. The influences of this period in Europe are apparent both in his painting and in the architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
of Montsalvat. Jörgensen bought a home and studio in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Brighton
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...
and later leased an old warehouse in Queen Street, Melbourne as his city studio where he could work and teach.
In 1956 the studio had to be vacated when the building was demolished to make way for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria
Royal Automobile Club of Victoria
The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria is a motoring club and mutual organisation, providing services such as roadside assistance, vehicle, home and contents insurance, personal and car loans, driving instruction, tourism services and home security products.The RACV runs a lifestyle club known as...
(RACV). The Queen Street classes had attracted many students and the studio had become an important hub of intellectual and bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
life in conservative Melbourne. Jörgensen had continued to accept architectural work and in 1934 while working on the design and construction of a studio in Eltham
Eltham, Victoria
Eltham is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Eltham had a population of 17,581....
for the painter and cartoonist Percy Leason, he decided that it was here he wanted to live, and so the Montsalvat dream began. Jörgensen invited his students and friends to join him in Eltham where he harnessed their collective enthusiasm in the building of Montsalvat.
Among those early students and friends were author and critic Mervyn Skipper, his wife Lena and their three children - Helen, Sonia and Matcham. Arthor Munday, George Charlmers, Lesley Sinclair, Sue Vanderkelen, Ian Robertson, Helen Lempriere, John Smith, John Busst and Myra Skipper. Percy Leason and his family lived next door and then there were the many friends who came to join in the work and the camaraderie of the camp. Two notable Australian artists said to be associated with Montsalvat were Leonard French
Leonard French
Leonard William French OBE is an Australian artist, known principally for major stained glass works.French was born in Brunswick, Victoria...
and Albert Tucker
Albert Tucker (artist)
Albert Lee Tucker , a pivotal Australian artist, was a member of the Heide Circle, a group of leading modernist artists and writers that centred on the art patrons John and Sunday Reed, whose home, "Heide", located in Bulleen, near Heidelberg , was a haven for the group...
.
Early Montsalvat
The Eltham district had been settled since the 1850s; some of these early pioneers had used mud bricks to build their farmhouses, but the method had long been abandoned. Jörgensen saw value in the building technique. The local soils appeared suitable for both adobe (mudbrickMudbrick
A mudbrick is a firefree brick, made of a mixture of clay, mud, sand, and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. They use a stiff mixture and let them dry in the sun for 25 days....
) and pisé de terre (rammed earth
Rammed earth
Rammed earth, also known as taipa , tapial , and pisé , is a technique for building walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk, lime and gravel. It is an ancient building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek more sustainable building materials and natural building methods...
) and it was cheap, so he set his students to work. He dispatched Arthur Munday, to the State Library in Melbourne to research the technique. There was little written material available, as the methods has been handed down from father to son. Arthur finally found in the writings of the ancient Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
historian Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
some of the information they were looking for...
Slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
for the roofs came from a friend's recently demolished house, discarded fire bricks, tiles and other material came from other sites. The recently demolished Bijou Theatre (in Bourke Street) proved a rich resource which provided the beautiful cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
circular staircase, architrave mouldings and some of the doors and windows. Helen Lempriere's family donated materials and money to build the ornamental pond. The many doors that open onto the pond area are from the cubicles that were the students' bedrooms, which have now been combined into one long studio. (The original inhabitants' initials can be seen on the front doorstep of each room). The small bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
tower, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
studio and Long Gallery were added later to form the closed courtyard.
The Great Hall
Work on the Great Hall began in 1938 with a local tradesman Len Jarrold as the leading hand. Jörgensen had originally designed a modest structure of mud brick, however during the excavation a reef of mudstoneMudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
was uncovered. The unique ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
tones of the stone inspired Jörgensen to re-design and the resulting larger structure was the Great Hall. He was fortunate in that Whelan the Wrecker
Whelan the Wrecker
Whelan the Wrecker is a demolition company based in Melbourne which became infamous in the 1960s and later in the 1980s for its role in the destruction of much of the grand Victorian buildings of Marvellous Melbourne that the city had become famous for, many of them along Collins Street's "golden...
s were demolishing the charming Royal Insurance Building which stood at 414, Collins Street, Melbourne, which contained the limestone windows and the stone balconies carved in the Gothic manner, that now adorn the Great Hall and give it its unique character. Students carved other windows and the gargoyles, which incorporated the traditional grotesque faces as seen in medieval architecture
Medieval architecture
Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
.
Extra stone for the walls came from a nearby quarry and the bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from demolition sites across Melbourne. Some of the flagstones and roofing slates had originally been shipped from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
as ballast
Sailing ballast
Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
aboard the sailing ships that serviced Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the 19th century.
At the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, work on the Great Hall ceased. Some of the students enlisted in the armed forces while others assisted on the home front. Montsalvat was turned into a farm and market garden. Jörgensen and his now smaller 'team' turned their creative abilities to these new projects, building the barns and sheds. Materials were scarce, but they managed to scrounge odd bits and pieces - from discarded broken bricks and rusty galvanized iron to timber poles cut from the bush. Additional to the market garden was the dairy and poultry farm with the produce being sold through the local markets.
The Department of the Army took an interest and allowed a skilled joiner and cabinetmaker, Phil Taffe to help with the project. Phil, although almost blind, worked on the new buildings and helped make some of the refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
tables, stools, carved chairs and other furniture that can be seen in the Great Hall today.
After the war, work on the Great Hall and other building recommenced. The slate floor in the hall and the wooden floors above were finally put in place. Students were given the task of carving the corbels and other embellishments around the windows and doors as part of their training. Local tradesmen joined the team, as did some new students and aspiring artists fresh back from the horrors of the war, like Clifton Pugh
Clifton Pugh
Clifton Ernest Pugh AO, was an Australian artist and three-time winner of Australia's Archibald Prize. He was strongly influenced by German Expressionism, and was known for his landscapes and portraiture...
, Gordon Ford and Joe Hannan and tradesmen Horry Judd, Bill Floyd, Wallt Stephens, Ken Howard, plus several refugees from Europe and Asia.
Recent history and today
Montsalvat today is a place where emerging and established artists can present and perform their work. Its visual features are enjoyed by tourists from around the world, and it can be found listed in many major Melbourne tourist guides. Public events (including exhibitions and performances), Film and Photography, Celebrations and Gatherings of many types are held on the property and amongst its buildings frequently.- In 1975 Montsalvat became a Charitable TrustCharitable trustA charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
with Jörgensen's youngest son Sigmund as the chairman of the Trust and its administrator. - In 1989 the work at Montsalvat was recognised by the Victorian Government when the property was placed on Heritage Victoria's Register, soon followed by a classification by the National Trust of Victoria.
- In October 1998 the Australian Heritage Commission included Montsalvat on the Australian Register of National Estate. (No. 100160)
- The Shire of NillumbikShire of NillumbikThe Shire of Nillumbik is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It contains some outer northern suburbs of Melbourne and rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 435 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 62,837 people...
council has also listed the property as a Heritage Place. - In 2006, an unpaid tax debt forced the current administration to sell land in nearby Christmas Hills after a bitter fight with a Victorian State Government appointed administrator.
Film and Still Photography
Montsalvat is a much sought after location for films and photographyPhotography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, and is used by many professionals and amateurs alike. Personal photography and art using the grounds and buildings as the subject matter is encouraged, however, commercial uses must first be negotiated as fees usually apply.
Montsalvat has been one of the filming locations for two vampire films, Thirst
Thirst (1979 film)
Thirst is a 1979 Australian film by Rod Hardy. It stars Australian actors Chantal Contouri and Max Phipps and British actor David Hemmings...
in 1979, and Queen of the Damned.
Was used for the opening scenes of John D. Lamond
John D. Lamond
John D. Lamond is an Australian film director, producer and writer best known for directing such films as Felicity, A Slice of Life, Breakfast in Paris and Nightmares....
's "Ozploitation" film, Felicity
Felicity (1979 film)
Felicity is a 1979 sexploitation film starring Glory Annen Clibbery and written and directed by John D. Lamond.-Plot:Felicity Robinson, a sheltered teen surrenders her blossoming body to a world of bold sexual adventure, from the forbidden pleasures at an all-girl school in the countryside to...
(1979).
Often used as a backdrop for locally produced pornography shoots.
Private and commercial gatherings
- The Great Hall, Long Gallery, Barn Gallery and Chapel are all frequented by private functions including Weddings and Receptions as well as Funeral Functions.
- Montsalvat houses facilities for Commercial gatherings such as Seminars and Conferences. Spaces can accommodate for up to 200 people, while formal meals can be provided for up to 120 guests.
Arson and subsequent re-building
In 1996 the red brick barn/workshop/studio towards the entrance was subjected to arsonArson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
and burnt down. It was subsequently rebuilt and now forms the main entrance and exhibition space known as the Barn Gallery. This is now where the majority of exhibitions and performances are held today.
See also
- Art of AustraliaArt of AustraliaAustralian art incorporates art made in Australia or about Australian subjects since prehistoric times. This includes Australian Aboriginal art, Australian Colonial art, Landscape, Atelier, Modernist and Contemporary art. The visual arts have a long history in Australia, with evidence of Aboriginal...
- Box Hill artists' campBox Hill artists' campThe Box Hill artists’ camp was a site in Box Hill, Victoria, Australia favoured for plein air painting in the late 1880s by a group of artists who were part of a movement that later became known as the Heidelberg School....
- Fredrick Christmas
- Heide Museum of Modern ArtHeide Museum of Modern ArtHeide Museum of Modern Art, more commonly just Heide, is a contemporary art museum located in Bulleen, east of Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1981, the museum comprises several detached buildings and surrounding gardens & parklands of historical importance that are used as gallery spaces to...
in Bulleen, VictoriaBulleen, VictoriaBulleen is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Bulleen had a population of 10,528.-Etymology:...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - Heidelberg SchoolHeidelberg SchoolThe Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. The movement has latterly been described as Australian Impressionism....