Gay Bilson (b. 1944), writer and former restaurateur, moved to Sydney from Melbourne with her partner, Tony Bilson, in the early 1970s (the couple were never married, but had two daughters, and Gay has long used Tony's surname). In 1973, the couple opened Tony's Bon Goût, the establishment, according to Mietta's guide, which began to flush the Labor Party out of clubs and pubs into 'trendy bistros'. Four years later the couple opened Berowra Waters Inn in a Glenn Murcutt-designed building on the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney; Tony left the restaurant, and the relationship, and Gay continued with the venture. For some years before it closed in 1994, Berowra Waters was regarded as Australia's best restaurant. In 1995 Gay Bilson took over Bennelong, in the Sydney Opera House, but left the venture after three relatively unhappy years. She moved to McLaren Vale, South Australia in 1999. Her meditative memoir, Plenty, won the Age book of the Year Award and the Nita B Kibble Award in 2005.
Inspired by a quote from Plenty, which considered sensuality and mortality, Leeanne Crisp fused the essence of pomegranates with the image of her friend for this 2009 Archibald-winning portrait. As Crisp outlined in her entry, she segments her watercolours like 'strips of photographs or stills in film. The white space refers to the void'.
Purchased with funds provided by Jan and Gary Whyte, Brian and Barbara Crisp, Gloria Kurtze, Jonathon Mills and Lawsoft Pty Ltd 2011
© Leeanne Crisp
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