Lyrical Landscapes: The Art of William Robinson is the second major exhibition hosted by HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast. Opening on Saturday 31 July, it has been curated by The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce, the former Governor-General, who is a close friend of the artist. Theirs is a rapport forged through a mutual love of classical music, art, culture, travel and an acute passion for nature and the environment. It’s not the first Robinson exhibition Dame Quentin has curated, but it’s certainly the grandest, the most ambitious, loving and insightful presentation of Robinson’s paintings, which she calls, “visual poetry”.

William Robinson Quentin Bryce

William Robinson AO and The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, Brisbane, April 2015. Photo © Russell Shakespeare

Lyrical Landscapes has been described as “a love letter to the Gold Coast Hinterland”. It coincides with Robinson’s 85th year and is a comprehensive airing of the painter’s oeuvre. The Creation Series, which consists of seven large-scale paintings produced over a period of 16 years, will be hung together for the very first time. Seeing them side by side is an exciting prospect. Other epic works...