Susan Boutwell and James Draper of Boutwell Draper Gallery reflect on 10 years in business and the passion and commitment behind their success.
December 2nd, 2010
December 2010 sees the tenth anniversary of Redfern’s Boutwell Draper Gallery, a space that has been home to a diverse selection of painters, photographers, sculptors, digital and installation artists since its establishment in 2001 by husband and wife team James Draper and Susan Boutwell.
The gallery has seen many artists, both upcoming and established, local and international, exhibit under Boutwell and Draper’s careful curatorship.
International artists like the renowned English sculptor and photographer Andy Goldsworthy, Germany’s great contemporary stone sculptor Ulrich Ruckriem and Scotland’s famous poet, sculptor and gardener Ian Hamilton Finlay, all held their first Australian solo exhibitions at Boutwell Draper.
The one common requirement for artists is that their work be innovative and of the highest quality. “I like to think that what they make adds to the history of art” says Draper.
Certainly, much of Boutwell Draper Gallery’s success comes from the owners’ strong relationships with their artists, and their keen ability to seek out compelling, exciting new art.
“It’s about intellectual challenge and great visual imagery,” says Draper. “Showing and curating the best.”
Group exhibitions form an integral part of Boutwell Draper Gallery’s annual program. Key past events have included Trailblazers, which focused on Australian and international urban art, and Art with Paper, for which a diverse range of artists showed work that had paper as its basis.
Next for Boutwell Draper Gallery is the third annual Art + Architecture group show, to take place in February next year.
An exhibition bringing together a diverse group of new and established Sydney architects along with a selection of work by the gallery artists, it allows Boutwell and Draper to pursue a lifelong passion for architecture, as well as giving the architecture community regular access to a broader audience.
Passion for art and a love of diversity is the key to Boutwell Draper Gallery’s success. “We could just focus on paintings… but that would not be enough,” says Draper.
“Our passion has kept us going,” adds Boutwell. “Collectors and a lot of people in the arts acknowledge that we do it because we love art, architecture and design.”
Boutwell Draper Gallery
boutwelldrapergallery.com.au
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
How can design empower the individual in a workplace transforming from a place to an activity? Here, Design Director Joel Sampson reveals how prioritising human needs – including agency, privacy, pause and connection – and leveraging responsive spatial solutions like the Herman Miller Bay Work Pod is key to crafting engaging and radically inclusive hybrid environments.
In this candid interview, the culinary mastermind behind Singapore’s Nouri and Appetite talks about food as an act of human connection that transcends borders and accolades, the crucial role of technology in preserving its unifying power, and finding a kindred spirit in Gaggenau’s reverence for tradition and relentless pursuit of innovation.
Schneider Electric’s new range are making bulky outlets a thing of the past with the new UNICA X collection.
It’s widely accepted that nature – the original, most accomplished design blueprint – cannot be improved upon. But the exclusive Crypton Leather range proves that it can undoubtedly be enhanced, augmented and extended, signalling a new era of limitless organic materiality.
Iconic Italian furniture designer Gufram has arrived in Australia, bringing their blend of pop and conceptual art to furniture.
For the ultimate addition to any kitchen design the Liebherr SBSes 7053 side by side refrigerator provides the perfect environment to store not only food but also wine bottles. This three door side by side refrigerator offers a combination of refrigerator, freezer and wine storage all delivered in a beautiful stainless steel finish. The wine […]
For Australian brand, King Living, which started out as King Furniture in 1977, it has been a journey of continual evolution. And while the word Furniture has simply replaced Living on the otherwise original logo, there’s a lot more to this soft rebrand story.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Taking cues from Harry Seidler’s materials and curving corridors as well as luxury hotels and hospitality design, GroupGSA has completed a new suite of offices in Sydney.
While the alluring myth of a lone genius can be particularly appealing, Knoll’s enduring legacy was built on a more profound reality: that a singular vision is only augmented through dialogue, proving that collaboration is one of the most transformative tools in design.
In a market saturated with sameness, Studio P3 set out to raise the bar, creating four refined speculative suites for Mirvac in Sydney, with Milliken flooring playing an essential role in realising a space with broad appeal – all underpinned by a commitment to sustainability.