The Farley Gift

Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest is committed to acquiring works that ‘reflect, explore and critique the practices, histories, interests and philosophic commitments of Gerald and Margo Lewers and their contemporaries’. Thus, in June 2010, the Gallery was delighted to accept the generous gift, by Mr. David Farley, of a substantial collection of carvings and sculptures (and related archival material) by the late Sonia Farley. Importantly, this gift greatly enhances the depth and rigor of the Gallery’s collection of sculptural works.

Sonia Farley was born in Sydney in 1927 and died 1997. Born into a family with Quaker heritage, Sonia Farley was raised with an appreciation for environmental issues and developed a keen interest in nature. When she began carving wood during the 1950s her respect for the inherent qualities of natural materials directed her practice. Her commitment to nature, organic shapes and sculptural form morphed abstraction with functionality and her works were well received. As a niece of artist Gerald Lewers, she is directly related to the Lewers family who gifted the Gallery to the community and was a frequent visitor to the site when it was the Lewers’ family home.

Sonia Farley worked extensively as a sculptor and her sculptural pieces share a close aesthetic affinity with the artistic practice of Gerald Lewers. As stated by Macquarie Galleries curator Eileen Chanin, ‘a brilliant carver, Gerald Lewers deeply influenced his niece, Sonia, who carved with him’. An interest in both abstraction and utilitarianism is also represented within the donated works by Sonia Farley, who was attracted by the modernist pursuit of remaining honest to both material and form.

Sonia Farley’s work is also linked to the modernist philosophy of Margo Lewers who valued the merit of unifying art and domesticity. The utilitarian nature of Sonia Farley’s work, therefore, complements the values of both Gerald and Margo Lewers, and offers the Gallery the opportunity to add a valuable counterpoint to the Collection’s focus on abstraction.