Photographed 60 years apart, these portraits trace the lives and love story of Penelope Seidler AM and Harry Seidler OBE. The couple met in 1957 through Harry’s connection with Penelope’s father, Clive Evatt QC, then Minister for Housing in the New South Wales government. Penelope was studying philosophy, history and anthropology at the University of Sydney before switching to architecture. This elegant and sophisticated studio portrait was taken by John Hearder on the couple’s wedding day in 1958, Penelope’s 20th birthday.
Reflecting on her first impressions of Harry, Penelope said: ‘There was something about his power of expression and his determination … he was so committed and so sincere and revolutionary … I could see that he had drive.’ Much of this drive was directed towards the application of modernist principles in architecture, with his vision seeing him winning every major Australian prize in the discipline. Becoming a registered architect in 1964, Penelope joined Harry Seidler & Associates and was made a director of the company two years later. Among their most noteworthy designs was Killara, the family home she designed with her husband. It won the 1967 Wilkinson Award, presented by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects for a design of outstanding merit. Anne Zahalka’s portrait depicts Penelope at Killara, where she has lived since it was built. Zahalka’s work often alludes to art historical traditions – in this case, the device of the ‘portrait-within-a-portrait’ to evoke the memory and presence of someone who has passed away. In the background is a portrait of the Seidlers by Petrina Hicks, taken the year before Harry’s death in 2006.
As Director of Harry Seidler & Associates, Penelope continues to steer their shared legacy. Also an art patron and philanthropist, she has held positions on the councils of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Venice Biennale, and has endowed architecture professorships and scholarships at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney.
