Portrait of Peter Watts
Euan Macleod

2003
oil on canvas
124 x 100 cm image, 127 x 103 cm framed 
Gift of Yuana and Stephen Hesketh

Description
Framed oil on canvas portrait painting of Peter Watts, Director of the Historic Houses Trust (HHT). Peter is depicted twice, first standing on the back verandah of Elizabeth Farm at Rosehill and again in the garden.

Significance statement  
The Portrait of Peter Watts marks a significant point in the relationship between the donors, Yuana and Stephen Hesketh, and the Director of the HHT, Peter Watts. This relationship developed in 2003 when the Hesketh’s bequeathed their home, Woolley House, to the HHT. Following this event, the Hesketh’s commissioned artist Euan Macleod to paint a portrait of Peter Watts. Significantly, Peter is shown at Elizabeth Farm, Australia’s oldest extant European building and a key building in the care of the HHT. A particular focus in Macleod’s work is the relationship between the figure and landscape and the interplay of memory and experience. The inclusion of Elizabeth Farm is a reminder of how the past and present connect with the future and the importance of preserving historic domestic built environments. The work also represents the mutual interest and relationship that has developed between Peter Watts and Yuana and Stephen Hesketh.

History
The Heskeths donated the portrait to the HHT in 2005.

Maker biography
Euan Macleod was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1956. He attained a Diploma of Fine Arts (Painting) in 1979 and moved to Sydney in 1981. He has had over 40 solo shows in Australia and New Zealand and has taken part in numerous group exhibitions in Australia and internationally. Macleod is represented in many private and public collections, including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, National Gallery of Australia and Metropolitan Museum, New York. Macleod is the recipient of a number of awards including the 1999 Archibald Prize for his self-portrait Head like a hole and the Sir John Sulman Prize in 2001.

Museum number
HHT2005/5

Image credit
Jenni Carter

Bibliography  
The Australian drawing biennale, Australian National University Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra, 2000