Thirty years ago, on 3 May 1997, the first Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi transformed the 2km coastal walk between Bondi and Tamarama into a one-day outdoor gallery. What began as a modest, volunteer-run initiative featured 64 sculptures, and with a marketing budget of just $400 25,000 people visited the one day exhibition – laying the foundation for what would become one of the world’s largest free to the public cultural events.
As we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year, we are pleased to share a selection of photos by Clyde Yee from the inaugural exhibition which show how the artists responded so quickly to the idea of exhibiting on the Bondi coastal walk. The photography budget for the first exhibition was just six rolls of film given to Clyde Yee who worked for free. The stunning photo of Margarita Sampson’s sculpture ‘Urchins’ was taken with the last negative on the last roll of film. Thank you Clyde! This was Margarita’s first sculpture, which she was inspired to make by the idea of the exhibition. Margarita has since exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi more than ten times, becoming a member of the Decade Club.
The photos include ‘Venus’ by Duncan Stemler and ‘Deshabille’ by Michael Le Grand, who were joint recipients of the exhibition’s major award, the $5,000 Sydney Water Sculpture Prize. Both Duncan and Michael exhibited many times in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi with Michael one of only six members of the Double Decade Club.
Over the coming months, as we head towards the opening of this year’s exhibition on 16 October, we will revisit each Bondi exhibition from the past three decades, sharing archival images and stories that trace the event’s evolution. We will also highlight the growth of Sculpture by the Sea beyond Bondi, including the Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe exhibition in Perth and the permanent Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail in southern New South Wales. These initiatives have been made possible through the continued support of artists, audiences, volunteers, donors, sponsors and media whose enthusiasm for the concept of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi was evident from the first day in 1997.
