Art & Heritage Collections

In 2007, prominent art collector and jazz entrepreneur Kym Bonython, AC DFC AFC, gave the University of Adelaide a special gift - a welded steel sculpture by Bryan Kneale RA.

Bonython purchased the work - Dorado (1964) - from London's prestigious Redfern Gallery. Dorado is a fine example of 1960s British modernism. Made partly of found materials, it has been fashioned into a combination of soft organic and hard inorganic shapes both complementing and challenging each other.

This work survived the Ash Wednesday bushfire (which sadly destroyed many other works in Bonython's collection held in his Mt Lofty residence) and prior to installation in its current home it was restored with advice from the artist.

Dorado now forms part of a significant collection of public sculpture on the University's North Terrace Campus. It can be viewed from the 1st floor of the Napier Building looking into the internal courtyard.

This important gift cements a long relationship between the University and Mr Bonython, who during the 1960s and 1970s advised the University on art purchases. He was instrumental in the acquisition of some of our most precious artworks, including Arthur Boyd's Judges series.

Generosity of this kind contributes greatly to the breadth and depth of our collections. If you, too, would like to contribute, please contact Art & Heritage Collections on +61 8 8303 4031.

Mirna Heruc, Manager, Art & Heritage Collections