Mildura Rural City Council has formally declared its intention to bring Ron Robertson-Swann’s sculpture, Vault (1980), to Mildura, where council say it will be “respected, celebrated and loved.”
Also known as Yellow Peril, Melbourne’s famously divisive modernist sculpture that caused uproar in the 1980s, was created by Australian artist Ron Robertson-Swann, who also sculpted Beethoven (1968), permanently displayed in Mildura.
Shane Jacobson, Mildura’s official tourism ambassador said Mildura is “ready to step in and care for a piece of art that Melbourne has neglected for decades. If Melbourne won’t give Vault the home it deserves, Mildura will! Let’s not forget, Melbourne once stuffed it in a storage shed like an unwanted toy. We’ve got the space, the sunshine and, frankly, the trucks are already waiting.”
Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Helen Healy, confirmed the city is ready to receive and honour the sculpture.
“We’ve made Melbourne a fair offer,” Cr Healy said.
“Mildura feeds Melbourne every day. Those trucks that deliver your produce could easily return with a work of art. We have the community, the space and the respect to give Vault the welcome it deserves.”
