Heide Museum of Modern Art
Built on the site of a former dairy farm, Heide preserves the legacy of the Heide Circle, a pioneering modernist collective that shaped Australian art in the mid-twentieth century.
At a glance
Heide is an art museum occupying sixteen acres of heritage gardens and sculpture park across three buildings in suburban Melbourne. It was established in 1981 following the Reeds’ gift of their home, collection, and land to the Victorian Government, and continues to champion emerging artists alongside works by twentieth-century Australian modernists.
History
In 1934, arts benefactors John and Sunday Reed purchased the former dairy farm that would become Heide. The couple’s nineteenth-century farmhouse—now called Heide I—became a gathering place for young modernist painters, particularly Sidney Nolan, John Perceval, Albert Tucker, and Joy Hester. These artists, who rank among Australia’s finest, were central figures in the Angry Penguins movement, named after a journal the Reeds co-published with poet Max Harris.
Between 1964 and 1967, the Reeds commissioned a new residence, Heide II, widely regarded as one of Victoria’s finest modernist buildings. In 1980, after extended negotiations, they sold the property and a significant portion of their art collection to the Victorian Government to establish a public museum. The museum opened in 1981. Andrew Andersons designed Heide III, a purpose-built gallery, which opened in 1993. Major redevelopments in 2005–06 included the addition of the Sidney Myer Education Centre and restoration of Heide II and its surrounding gardens.
What you see
Three distinct buildings span the evolution of the site. Heide I, the original nineteenth-century farmhouse, preserves the intimate domestic scale where the Heide Circle gathered. Heide II exemplifies mid-century modernist residential design and is recognized as a significant architectural achievement. Heide III, added in 1993 and later expanded, provides contemporary gallery space. The sixteen-acre grounds integrate heritage gardens with a sculpture park, creating a landscape where art and nature coexist.
Cultural significance
Heide documents a transformative moment in Australian art history. By preserving both the homes where modernist painters worked and gathered, and the artworks they created, the museum reveals the connection between artistic community and creative output. The collection emphasizes the Angry Penguins movement and continues the Reeds’ original commitment to supporting young and emerging artists—a mission that remains central to Heide’s identity today.
Key facts
- Location: Bulleen, Victoria, Australia
- Established: 1981
- Coordinates: −37.75863, 145.08421
- Three buildings: Heide I (19th-century farmhouse), Heide II (1964–67 modernist residence), Heide III (gallery, opened 1993)
- Sixteen acres of heritage gardens and sculpture park
Practical information & getting there
Heide is located in Bulleen, a suburb northeast of Melbourne’s city centre. The museum is set within expansive grounds that combine heritage gardens and sculpture park. For current opening hours, admission fees, and detailed directions, visit the museum’s website or contact them directly.
Sources & resources
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