Commemorative First World War tapestry unveiled at the Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial has unveiled a significant new First World War commemorative tapestry commission based on a painting by internationally renowned Australian artist Imants Tillers (b. 1950).

The tapestry, titled Avenue of Remembrance, was commissioned in 2014 by the Memorial through the Australian Tapestry Workshop and made possible through a generous donation from the Geoff and Helen Handbury Foundation.

The Director of the Australian War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson, said the tapestry is an invaluable addition to the Memorial’s art collection, displayed prominently in the Stairwell Gallery.

“This work is the first major tapestry to be displayed at the Australian War Memorial, and is striking for both its scale and grandeur. It powerfully highlights the commitment and sacrifice of Australia’s servicemen and servicewomen over the last 100 years, as it does the poignancy of grief and loss,” Dr Nelson said.

“Tillers’ poetic landscape painting is reminiscent of the wartime roads on the Western Front. It further evokes the many ‘avenues of remembrance’ planted in memorial to the First World War around Australia.

“In its simplest form, this is a tapestry depicting love, friendship, hope, and renewal. It is remarkable, and we are proud to house it within one of the world’s greatest collections of war art.”  

Tillers was commissioned to produce a painting for the tapestry as a commemorative response to the centenary of the First World War. The painting makes reference to the “Gallipoli letter”, an 8,000-word document written by Keith Murdoch to Prime Minister Andrew Fisher in 1915. This letter is one of the National Library of Australia’s treasures, and is widely believed to have helped influence the decision to bring the Gallipoli campaign to an end.

In his artist’s statement, Tillers says he decided to eschew an exclusive focus on the tragic but nation-defining event that was Gallipoli, and to instead make reference to the whole of Australia’s participation in the First World War.

“Thus the names of places where Australians were buried (rather than the actual theatres of war) are quoted as ready-made poetic elements in my design. Familiar names such as ‘Anzac Cove’, ‘Shrapnel Valley’, and ‘Lone Pine’, appear alongside other Middle Eastern locales: ‘Jerusalem’, ‘Gaza’, and ‘Beirut’.”

The tapestry, which measures 3.3 by 2.8 metres, took more than 2,380 hours to complete and was woven by Master Weavers Sue Batten, Chris Cochius, Pamela Joyce, Milena Paplinska, and Cheryl Thornton. It was formally completed in a traditional “cutting off” ceremony on 13 April before being relocated to its permanent home at the Australian War Memorial.