We headed to the State Theatre on Melbourne’s St Kilda Road to take a peek at the three theatres that make up the Arts Centre. The tour included the theatre designs and the paintings chosen for each location.
I had seen the Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan works before, but there were some hidden behind locked doors. We entered the Amcor Lounge exclusively for artists where the bright wall was a blaze of colour. A closer inspection revealed hundreds of items from spiders to an old cassette tape; all items previously used in a performance.
This was my favourite room, but not the only surprise. There was a section of John Olsen paintings, each one relating to an opera such as Carmen, Don Giovanni, Aida and the Magic Flute.
Another section I hadn’t seen was exclusive Aboriginal art. Although I won’t be able to enter the Amcor Lounge again, the remaining paintings are open to the public free of charge. This building is almost like another art gallery although it’s necessary to find your way around a labyrinth of corners and stairs to locate the next group of paintings.
