Hidden harbour highlights

It’s often said familiarity can breed contempt, but that’s obviously not the case in the work of Martin Wale, exhibition curator at the State Library of NSW.

For the past 17 years, Wale has worked on the creation of numerous art exhibitions, surrounded by literally hundreds and thousands of the state’s best art works.

So when Wale realised there was a diverse range of rarely seen works in the collection which depict life around the harbour, the idea for the new exhibition Sydney Harbour: Seldom Scene was born.

Some of the 40 works have been held in storage areas, while others were on the walls of administration offices and in boardrooms.

I realised I had fallen into that trap of familiarity, having been a staff member for so long, Wale says. I just assumed everyone knew these paintings but the fact is they didn’t. So when I suggested we put together a show about the beautiful images of Sydney Harbour, there was no shortage of material to choose from.

One of Wale’s favourite works is Alfred Daplyn’s Boating Scene On Sydney Harbour, painted circa 1920s, which depicts a group of lads about to climb into a rowboat for a boozy afternoon on the harbour.

That is just a showstopper, Wale exclaims. It hung for a long time in our boardroom, and everyone adores it. It is just so silly and romantic and pretty. There is some anecdotal evidence the boys are members of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron at Kirribilli.

As part of his research into the exhibition, Wale tracked down where on the foreshores each of the 40 works was painted. Accompanying Sydney Harbour: Seldom Scene guidebook is a map, depicting the locations of the settings.

That map has now spawned a walking tour, beginning at the State Library and weaving its way around the Botanical Gardens, Circular Quay and The Rocks.

Sydney Harbour: Seldom Scene is on exhibition in the State Library’s Picture Gallery until 27 May. Admission is free. Details at www.atmitchell.com.