You can view the exhibition as part of any tour or attendance at any concert at Beleura.

This exhibition showcases a total of twenty-one paintings -  a snapshot from a large and broad-ranging body of work (over 250 works) that John and Eugenie Rowell created over their lifetimes. It contains quintessential Australian landscapes, portraits and familiar seascapes from the Mornington Peninsula.

John and Eugenie Rowell shared a lifelong passion for the Mornington Peninsula, often making the journey down to paint en plein air. They moved to Mornington in 1952 where they eventually built their second home, after purchasing a block of land from John Tallis in 1958. 

The Works

Most of the paintings by John Rowell in the exhibition were painted between the years of 1919 and the late 1930s. The selection includes include three portraits - one of Eugenie Rowell, one self-portrait and one of Miss Lew Ton - as well as six quintessential Australian landscapes and a collection of beach scenes from the Mornington Peninsula. 

There are a small number of Eugenie’s paintings predominantly from the later years of her life including two pastoral scenes and five seascapes where she also captures the essence of place. Easily recognisable is the Tanti River and Flinders Coastline. 

Early years

John and Eugenie met at the National Gallery School in 1911 and married in 1917, their first child, Joan was born in 1918. From then on Eugenie dedicated her life to supporting John in his career as an artist and teacher. A great sacrifice that he both appreciated and acknowledged in his autobiography. It would seem that they both painted on the plein air painting tours they did together throughout their lives, whether it be in rural NSW, QLD, WA or further afield. 

Eugenie Rowell

Eugenie was both an accomplished pianist and a talented painter.  In the early years she won awards for her portrait painting, one of her works from 1916 is held at the Geelong Gallery. She started studying at the Gallery School in 1911, prior to that she studied painting in Geelong under the tutelage of Geelong artist Helen Peters. 

Mornington years

They moved around from Melbourne to Ballarat, to Baywater and then finally to Mornington in the 1950s where they purchased a block of land from John Tallis, the owner of Beleura. 

The family were surprised to learn in the late 1970s that Eugenie had continued to paint throughout her life, when she surprised them with a solo exhibition of her own work in 1976 at Manyung Gallery in Mount Eliza. 

John and Eugenie were prominent members of the Melbourne Arts Scene holding garden parties that were so well known they were written up in the Argus as the place to be. 

They embarked on a tour of Europe in 1937-1938 and also went to New York funded by a Carnegie travel grant.  Whilst in London John Rowell was invited  to attend in person the Coronation of King George the VI at Westminster Abbey in order to document in paint the moment. S. 

Acknowledgements

It is with thanks to Joan Ackland’s Estate (John and Eugenie’s daughter) and Peter Ackland, one of John and Eugenie’s grandsons, that we can display their work today in this exhibition.