When Christabel Blackman’s mother turned ninety, they celebrated by sifting through Barbara’s old documents: diaries, photos, manuscripts – and a fragile old folder, tied with a ribbon. This held letters from a love long past between Christabel’s parents. It was a portal into a decade of art and love between Charles and Barbara Blackman. Set against the burgeoning cultural art scene of 1950s Melbourne, among the soon-to-become legendary artists of the Heide group, Christabel weaves the story of Charles and Barbara and the influence they had on each other, and on the Australian art world. These handwritten letters vividly conjure the feeling of the time, and breathe life into the names that are now found in galleries around the world. Charles writes descriptive sketches of his encounters and sentiments to his new love Barbara, who is in turn experiencing her own transformations: the loss of her eyesight, life with a matriarchal mother and her growing literary and intellectual ambitions. In this intimate and immersive account, Christabel reveals her parents’ unswerving devotion and blazing creativity, and shares insights into the iconic people they were becoming. With over 160 artworks from Charles Blackman, as well as never-before-seen sketches, letters, documents and photos, it is a beautiful and revealing portrait of two people, their art, and a world they changed forever.
