Next time you visit Hahndorf you will run into Sir Hans Heysen on main street. Be sure to stop for a #selfiewithhans
On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, with The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP, Premier of South Australia, unveiled a new sculpture of Sir Hans Heysen (1877-1968), acclaimed Australian artist and conservationist, on the main street of Hahndorf.
The life-size Heysen Sculpture has been created by internationally acclaimed South Australian sculptor, Robert Hannaford AM, and is an outstanding representation of this significant Australian artist and conservationist and a fitting artistic acknowledgement of his work and influence on Australian art, local community and his passion for the environment.
CEO of The Cedars, Hans Heysen Foundation, Ms Tori Dixon-Whittle, said, “Hans Heysen is considered one of Australia’s greatest artistic treasures, and an especially prominent figure in Hahndorf. He was one of Australia’s first non-indigenous artists to engage deeply with our country’s landscape with his rich depictions of the outback, atmospheric paintings of the Adelaide Hills and sketches of early twentieth century village life in Hahndorf, the nation’s oldest German settlement.”
The sculpture will sit permanently outside the newly restored Hahndorf schoolhouse next-door to the Hahndorf Academy.
Chairman of the Hans Heysen Foundation Board, Mr James Sexton, said “This statue provides a wonderful link between Hans Heysen’s beloved home, The Cedars, and the community of Hahndorf. It accurately represents him as the artist, conservationist and ardent supporter of Hahndorf and South Australia that he was”.
Made possible through generous donations from multiple benefactors and the Hahndorf Business and Tourism Association. The event runs from 4pm – 6pm at the Hahndorf Schoolhouse, 64 Mount Barker Road, Hahndorf.
