The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 2 July 2014
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Margo Lewers:<br />
Mosaics and Related<br />
Works<br />
A recent exhibition, in May <strong>2014</strong>, celebrated the<br />
work <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> Australia's most prominent abstract<br />
artists, Margo Lewers (1908-1978). It was held at<br />
Orange Regional Gallery and traced the evolution<br />
<strong>of</strong> her paintings and mosaics. Through a series<br />
<strong>of</strong> photographs, the exhibition also chronicled<br />
the preparation, installation and restoration <strong>of</strong><br />
Expansion, a mosaic installation commissioned for Canberra's Rex Hotel. Completed in 1960, it was<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the largest commissions <strong>of</strong>fered to an <strong>Australian</strong> artist in that period. <strong>The</strong> work functions as an<br />
exterior wall for the hotel and, measuring 12.3 metres long by 2.3 metres high, remains one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
largest examples <strong>of</strong> abstract expressionist public art in Australia.<br />
<strong>The</strong> hotel itself was the first large<br />
construction project in Canberra following<br />
World War II. Its commissioning architect,<br />
Alexander Kann, was looking for a lively<br />
artwork to juxtapose the hotel's 'cool<br />
international style'. He had seen Lewers'<br />
mosaics during a visit to her home (now<br />
Penrith Regional Gallery & Lewers Bequest).<br />
"<strong>The</strong> exhibition was a terrific insight into<br />
her life and work," said Brenda Gray, Assistant<br />
Director, Orange Regional Gallery. "<strong>The</strong>re's a<br />
terrific photo <strong>of</strong> Expansion being installed; it<br />
really conveys the monumental task at hand."<br />
Construction <strong>of</strong> Expansion, Rex Hotel<br />
Photo: courtesy Orange Regional Gallery<br />
Construction was at times difficult. <strong>The</strong> pincers used by Lewers and her assistant could not be used<br />
with gloves, regularly leaving the two with cut hands. Lewers also miscalculated the mural's size,<br />
however the developer agreed to extend the wall to ensure her composition was not compromised.<br />
Expansion is included on the ACT Heritage Register as an 'Object <strong>of</strong> Significance'. It played a<br />
significant role in a 2002 campaign to save the Rex Hotel from redevelopment.<br />
Lewers worked in disciplines including oils, textiles and sculpture, and from 1936 to 1939 she<br />
designed pottery to sell at her <strong>No</strong>tanda Gallery, Sydney.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rex Hotel is located at 150 <strong>No</strong>rthbourne Avenue, Canberra.<br />
A report by Candice Anderson<br />
THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS APRIL <strong>2014</strong> 105
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