Back of Lewers, Emu Plains

Frank Hinder was a pioneer of abstraction in Australia, driven, in his work, to make modern philosophy and science visible. The artwork of Frank and his wife Margel Hinder has been recognised for the conceptual link it provides between the emergence of abstraction in Sydney in the 1930s and the development of Abstract Expressionism that became prominent in the late 1950s and 1960s. Hinder’s affection for his close friend Gerald Lewers is felt in the countless drawings he made of Gerald at work, sitting on the ground, entangled in his carvings. These works provide an insightful document of life at the Lewers house in the post World War II era. The drawings depict a close-knit group of friends and family – sharing meals, drawing, reading and resting. This artwork of the site of the Penrith Regional Gallery, Home of The Lewers Bequest compliments over 150 Frank Hinder sketches and paintings in the collection.