Polixeni Papapetrou

Polixeni Papapetrou
Australian 1960–2018

She saw two girls and a boy 1966 #1 2006
pigment ink print; edition 2/6
Geelong Gallery
Gift of Dr Robert Nelson through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, 2010

The enduring mystery of the missing Beaumont children is the inspiration for Papapetrou’s She saw two girls and a boy 1966 #1. The title of the work is taken from a witness statement made after Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont disappeared from Adelaide’s Glenelg Beach on 26 January 1966.

Despite an extensive police search, the children were never seen again and their disappearance continues to be the subject of investigation. Papapetrou’s composition visually conveys the lack of closure in the case: with their backs to the viewer and peering out towards the distant horizon, a sense of the children’s disconnection is emphasised.