Fontainebleau - McCubbins Retreat

McCubbin's retreat is crumbling
GABRIELLA COSLOVICH
April 24, 2010

HIDDEN away on the north side of Mount Macedon, the wild and under-developed side, an important part of Australian art history lies neglected and crumbling. Its name is Fontainebleau and it is the former country property of the much-loved Australian painter Frederick McCubbin.

Few know of Fontainebleau's existence; even people steeped in the arts are unaware that the woods of Mount Macedon harbour McCubbin's former home. And yet, it is real, and remarkably intact, a Gothic timber cottage virtually unchanged since when McCubbin painted some of his best-known works there early last century, including The Pioneer.

But its future may be in jeopardy. That it has remained untouched and spared from the bulldozer or soul-stripping renovations is greatly due to Fontainebleau's discreet owners of the past 31 years - brothers Mark and Paul Cutler, who no longer reside at the property. The Age tracked them down this week.

The Cutlers set up a not-for-profit trust to buy Fontainebleau, paying about $75,000 for the property in 1979. It is now valued at between $1 million to $1.5 million. Astonishingly, despite the home's great cultural significance, no one else cared a jot about it back in 1979.

''It was up for private sale and nobody bought it, nobody wanted to know it,'' says Mark Cutler, ''We kept it going to the extent we could, but nature is winning that battle. Without us living there and being there it would have fallen over many, many years ago.''

The Cutlers are now living in Hobart and Fontainebleau's sole resident is ''property manager'' Trevor Hoare. But the Cutlers do not have the resources to maintain the home and its seven hectares of garden and bush. Nor do they want to sell it. The last thing Mark Cutler wants to see is Fontainebleau ''turned into a resort or a multi-millionaire's weekend playground''.

It was brother Paul who was instrumental in the purchase of Fontainebleau. A teacher, he had been looking for a secluded property close to Melbourne that he could turn into a place of education, contemplation and creativity.

Just as McCubbin fell in love with Fontainebleau when he stumbled upon it during a Christmas holiday in Woodend in 1901, so too did Paul Cutler, even though he was initially unaware of its history. He quickly learnt of the McCubbin legacy and saw it as perfectly synchronised to his own goals. But Paul Cutler's plans to transform Fontainebleau into a retreat never eventuated. He lived at Fontainbleau for 21 years, and raised his children there.

In 2000, Paul Cutler moved to Hobart, where he is completing a PhD on Buddhist philosophies - and still holding on to his dream for Fontainebleau. But finding someone willing to help fund that vision is another issue entirely.

About five years ago, Mark Cutler met Ian Roberts, from the Harold Mitchell Foundation, to talk about the future of Fontainebleau. At that time, the foundation was looking for a place to set up residential artist studios in Victoria, but that is no longer a priority.

''Look, I do think it's a pity, but I have to add that I used to work in the old Ministry for the Arts and Arts Victoria and I know the number of historic buildings; there are many, many historic buildings of great consequence. The purchase of them is one thing, the upkeep of them is another,'' said Roberts, the foundation's executive officer.

The decline of Fontainebleau has been a major concern for the Woodend and District Heritage Society, which has watched with despair as the property ages. Recently, former National Gallery of Victoria curator John Jones brought a group of curators to Fontainebleau ahead of a major exhibition of the artist's last decade of work, which opens at the Bendigo Art Gallery today. ''The bushland (around Fontainebleau) is so important because, after Heidelberg, it really is the most famous Australian painting spot,'' Jones says.

Fontainebleau's addition to the Victorian Heritage Register this month has buoyed hopes for the property's preservation.

The heritage listing affords some protection to Fontainebleau - no significant works can be done without a permit - and also means the owners are eligible for financial assistance to help with conservation works.

The Cutler vision for Fontainebleau is closely aligned with that of McCubbin's great-grandson David , who is heartened to learn that the house is owned by two brothers who are sensitive to its spirit and legacy. ''It's a huge relief to know that it's not some snide, pernicious little turd who has inherited the property. Sounds like their heart is exactly in the right spot,'' he said.