Collecting For The Nation: The Australiana Fund
Edited by Jennifer Sanders
NewSouth Books
‘There was not even a salad bowl of Gough Whitlam’s,’ said Tamie Fraser in 1976, wife of then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, on the vacancy of the official residencies in Canberra and Sydney. In 1978 The Australiana Fund Collection was established to acquire and preserve a permanent archive of national treasures to furnish the lodges. ‘Collecting for the Nation’ details these works – from ceramic cockatoos and hand-painted porcelain to stylish silverware and historic paintings – and the architectural development of each house along with the people who lived in them. Essays highlight the importance of architecture, art, decorative arts and design through particular objects and their makers, illustrating new artistic movements, recording significant cultural events and societal changes; complemented by colour illustrations and photographs.
