Art of Lavender Bay

Amidst the grevilleas and banksias planted on the right hand side of the Board walk is Art Barton Park, named after the renowned artist of Luna Park. Arthur ‘Art’ Barton worked as an artist at Luna Park from 1935, the year of the park’s opening, until 1970 when he retired. In the early 1950s he redesigned the entrance and created the welcoming clown-like face that became the iconic image of Luna Park. He came to be regarded as one of the finest exponents of fairground art in Australia.

A major feature of the pocket park is a small bronze sculpture, designed by cartoonist Michael Leunig and sculpted by Lavender Bay artist Peter Kingston. This sculpture was installed as a memorial to the victims of the Ghost Train Fire and the sandstone block bears their names.

Further along the boardwalk amongst the garden is a series of small sculptures by Lavender Bay artist and long-time resident Peter Kingston.

Peter Kingston is a local artist and long-time member of the Friends of Luna Park. Peter worked tirelessly to preserve the fabric and atmosphere of Luna Park from the 1970s to 1990s. In 2002 he cast and installed a series of small statues commemorating some of the best-loved characters from Australian popular culture from the early 20th century. Nestled amidst the shrubbery are in sequence: Bib and Bub, Ginger Meggs, the Magic Pudding, Felix the Cat, Luna Park Face, Boofhead, Blinky Bill and a Hegarty’s Ferry.