The Symbol of Australia – Sydney Opera House. This is the image of a modern opera house, conceived by the master musician Eugène Gossens, who dedicated himself to its creation, only to face misfortune at the end of his life due to his own brainchild.
Eugène Gossens, originally a composer of opera, was an Englishman who lived and worked in Sydney for many years and was honored as the “the dominator of opera in Australia.” He, along with his close friend, Danish architect Joern Utzon, who won the international design competition in 1956 for the opera house, studied and constructed the Sydney Opera House, which was completed in 1973.
When the new opera house was completed with its striking architectural exterior, a loud debate erupted among the authorities in Sydney and Australia at the time. Unfortunately, the local authorities were heavily influenced by “British conservatism”, which led them to reject this new architectural product, condemning it as “unlike anything else.” They prosecuted the creator for “wasting public funds” on an unacceptable architectural project, despite Eugène Gossens and his renowned architectural partner’s persistent explanations of their pure creative intent. They aimed to portray a vivid image of the white sails of a historic ship, reminiscent of Captain “James Cook” (1728-1778) from England, who navigated the vast Pacific and Antarctic regions, discovering many valuable new lands, including parts of Oceania, numerous areas of Australia, New Zealand, and the islands he named the Sandwich Islands, which are present-day Hawaii, the 50th state of the United States. Captain James Cook tragically lost his life in an altercation with natives in the Sandwich Islands in 1778. However, the Sydney court was equally resistant, and there were intentions to imprison him; ultimately, they decided to permanently deport him from Australia, barring his return to the country, even though he had not completed the interior of the opera house.
But eventually, the inevitable happened. The Sydney Opera House has been quietly used by the public since 1973, despite the interior not being completed in accordance with the author’s vision, as co-author Joern Utzon also sadly left Sydney. Over time, the opera house gained widespread acclaim from both the citizens of Sydney and many international visitors, with its iconic architectural design (the white sails of Captain James Cook’s ship) regaining the trust of the majority of the people of Sydney and Australia.
On October 20, 1993, exactly 20 years after the completion of the opera house, this “unlike anything else” opera house was grandly inaugurated during a large ceremony celebrating Australia’s 20 years of creating this “architectural wonder,” at which point its creator, Eugène Gossens, had already passed away. His name was honored, and a large statue of him was placed in the most prominent position within the opera house, commemorating him to this day; marking the day when the people of Australia embraced the Sydney Opera House with its iconic white sails as the symbol of the country.
Today, when people around the world see this symbol, they know they have arrived in the coastal city of Sydney, Australia, and have the opportunity to view the bronze statue of the late Eugène Gossens while reflecting on a common paradox in the world of art: not every masterpiece, including architectural wonders, is recognized immediately upon its creation; rather, the creators are often celebrated posthumously.
