living with
contemporary art
LEFT: Exterior of Mr and Mrs John Lewis' house.
Children's wing,
on three levels, is on right-hand side.
Mr and Mrs John Lewis' harborside house in Sydney has plenty of space for their
four children and a fine collection of contemporary art, mostly the work of Australians
CONTINUED ON PAGE 108
ABOVE LEFT: New Guinea bird mask hangs in the entrance hall where a scarlet-carpeted iron
staircase - leading to an upper gallery of paintings - makes a striking, elegant feature. Sculpture
(right) by Rod Dudley is similar to eight in the Adelaide Festival Centre. ABOVE RIGHT: John Olsen
painted the three-panel ceiling in the dining-room. The work is called "Sea, Sun of Five Bells." The table extends to seat 16 people. Painting on wall is "Blue and Sliver" by Michael Taylor. LEFT: Painting above the fireplace in the sitting-room is by Australian artist Fred Williams. Richly colored abstract
above the white bookshelves on the left ls by Janet Dawson. Carpets, upholstery, and white walls
complement the sculptures and paintings which are the main decoration throughout the house.
Living with contemporary art House of the Week
LEFT: Main bedroom
has a carpeted platform for the bed. Portraits of the Lewis children are by Janet Dawson.
Story by ENNIS HONEY Pictures by
NEVILLE WALLER
THERE are paintings and other art works in almost every room of Mr and Mrs John Lewis' Sydney home, including those of the children. They have a separate three-level wing, built on to the original
two-storey house ten years ago.
All the walls in the house are white. "White makes the best backgrond for paintings." said Ann Lewis, who is director of Gallery A in Sydney and a
member of the Visual Arts Board.
The paintings were considered too when choosing window treatments. Most rooms are without curtains. Green rattan blinds diffuse strong afternoon sunlight.
Off-white Italian tiles cover the floor of the entrance hall. From there, a graceful white iron staircase - carpeted in brilliant red - leads to the upper floor and a gallery lined with paintings.
The main bedroom is all white, with
floor-to-ceiling mirror-covered wardrobes along one wall. Opposite, glass doors open on to a balcony and a cool water view. White carpet covers the floor and the wall-length bed-end, which is topped by white painted bookshelves. On the fourth wall is a huge painting by Ed Ruda, an
American artist.
Australian artist John Olsen painted the three panels on the dining-room ceiling in
1964. He did a later painting for the Opera
House, "Salute to Slessor's 5 Bells" inspired by Kenneth Slessor's poem "Five Bells".
In the spacious, high-ceilinged sitting-room, paintings and sculptures are the main decoration. Carpet is white,
comfortable settees have white
covers. There's a big chair covered in orange linen to match the orange in Janet Dawson's richly colored abstract above the
white bookshelves.
The sunroom, with black leather
furniture in white moulded frames, adjoins the sitting-room through a square archway. To mark the separation, a low white half-wall is topped by a black snake-like sculpture by Clement Meadmore.
Architect Douglas Gordon designed the children's wing. On the limited site of a
one-storey laundry and a tiny bit of backyard, he built a self-contained section
for Daniel, Annalise, Tony and Amanda
whose ages range from 10 to 18.
On one level are two bedrooms for the boys, on another the girls' rooms and on the lowest a playroom and bathroom.
The bedrooms are practical with timber
floors, built-in bookshelves, desks and
wardrobes. Each bedroom has a different
color scheme.
And, of course, there are paintings. Mrs Lewis bought one for Tony in Melbourne, an enormous, brilliantly colored abstract
by Paul Partos.