Ian & Roslin Goonetileke Painting Collection
THE PERADENIYA ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM TRUST
The Peradeniya Art Gallery and Museum Trust was established to curate and manage the collection of books, artifacts and paintings bestowed on the University of Peradeniya by its former Librarian, Mr.H.A.I. Goonetileke and his wife, Mrs.Rosline Goonetileke.
Henry Alfred Ian Goonetileke was born on (1922-2003), and after his early education at St. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, then Richmond College, Galle, graduated with a general degree from the Ceylon University College in the early 1940s. He joined the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, as an Assistant Librarian in 1953, and served the Library of the University of Peradeniya for 27 years, and was its Chief Librarian from 1971 to 1979. Mr. Goonetileke was instrumental in making the Library of the Peradeniya University a leading repository of knowledge in Sri Lanka. He secured a Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship in 1958 winning the John Duncan Cowley Prize for the best thesis in the process. In 1966, he received his FLA obtaining a distinction for his dissertation entitled - 'A Bibliography of Ceylon - A Systematic Guide to the Literature on the land, people, history and culture published in Western languages from the 16th Century to the present day’ which was described as "a magnificent and monumental piece of work, which more than deserved the award that was made for it". The dissertation, formed the first two volumes of his monumental - 'A Bibliography of Ceylon' in eight volumes – but unfortunately only five of the volumes have been published, as Mr.Goonetileke was unable to proceed the remaining volumes to due to failing health and other infirmities.
Mr. Goonetileke was a very close personal friend of the famed “43 Group”, and in particular of one of its members, George Keyt, who is arguably the best known painter of Sri Lankan origin. Harry Peiris, the first secretary of the Group, had once invited Ian to serve in that capacity, an honour he declined due to commitments at the University.
In July 1979 Mr. Goonetileke resigned prematurely from his post of Librarian, but continued to maintain his affinity to, and links with, Peradeniya. In a moment of great significance for the University, in 1995 he wrote to its then Vice Chancellor, Prof. C.M. Madduma Bandara, to offer the entirety of his library of a priceless 60-year collection of books, journals, pamphlets, off prints and other documents of an academic nature, and his collection of art including paintings and other art objects such as statues in metal andwood as well as some replicas in plaster; the collection also included his very valuable collection of personal letters. Upon acceptance by the Vice Chancellor in July 1995 of this extraordinarily generous offer, Mr. Goonetilleke by a Memorandum of Understanding witnessed by his wife, Mrs. Roslin Goonetileke, his attorney, and three other close associates, bequeathed his entire collection to the University of Peradeniya on 16th December 1996.
Mrs. Roslin Kumarasinghe Goonetileke has been described thus: “If Ian needed an advisor or a counsellor, he had one always at his side, his wife Rolin, endowed as she was with uncommon sagacity and wisdom. With a wife such as Roslin, Ian simply could neither waver nor grow weary of speaking, writing and living the truth.” Mrs. Goonetileke’s endorsement of the bequest to the University was clear in her appointement as its custodian until such time that the collection was handed over to the university, but sadly she predeceased her husband on 7 December 2000.
However, for many years after the delivery of this magnificent bequest to the University of Peradeniya, the collection lay in storage at the basement of the library until the then Vice Chancellor in 2006 convened a group of distinguished academics and associates of Mr.Goonetilleke to form the ‘Peradeniya University Art Gallery and Museum Trust.’ The Board of Trustees were Prof. K.N.O.Dharmadasa, Prof. Munidasa Padmasiri Ranaweera, Dr.Ranjini Obeysekere, and Mr.Tissa Ajith Jayathilaka. Under the stewardship of the Board of Trustees, and the leadership of the Vice Chancellor Prof.Kapila Goonesekera, the collection was verified and placed in an air-conditioned storage facility in the Library, to await the building of a dedicated Art Gallery. Mr.Ashley De Vos, Architect and another distinguished alumnus of the university, volunteered his services to design the Art gallery and the construction of the first phase of the approved design commenced during the tenure of Prof.Sarath Abayakoon as Vice Chancellor, with the kind assistance of the Colombo Branch of the Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya and other donors. The Gallery is to be known as the ‘Ian & Roslin Goonetileke Gallery & Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of Peradeniya.’
The Board of Trustees has now passed on the task of raising funds to preserve, conserve and place on display this invaluable gift to the University of Peradeniya and to Sri Lanka, in a manner worthy of the intentions of this great benefactor, to the “Charitable Trust to Administer and Manage the Paintings Books and Other Artifacts Intended and Bestowed to the University of Peradeniya by the Late Ian Goonetileke former Distinguished Librarian of the University of Peradeniya; for the benefit of the University Community and the Public to Promote a Love of Art and Cultural Artifacts”. The Trustees appointed in 2021 are Prof.Upul Bandara Dissanayake, Mr.Rasiah Maheswaran, Prof.PRadeepa Chandani Gunatilake Banadaranayake, Prof.Sarath Bandara Samarasinghe Abayakoon, Prof. K.N.O.Dharmadasa, Prof. Munidasa Ranaweera, Prof.Amarakeerthi Liyanage, Dr.Jayantha Dhanapala, Mr.Asoka De Silva, Mrs. Shyamali Ranaraja, and Ms. Manohari Alles.
Ian & Roslin Goonetileke Painting Collection at the University of Peradeniya is a rich tapestry of art generously gifted by the late distinguished Librarian of the University of Peradeniya Ian Goonetileke and his beloved wife Roslin Goonetileke. The diverse art collection is managed and administered by a didicated Board of Trustees.
Articles Relating to H. A. I Goonetileke
- H. A. I. Goonetileke - legend in his lifetime – Daily News
- The Pioneers: H.A.I. Goonetileke (1922–2003) — M.K. Geethani Attanayake
- The passing of a generation Sunday Essay by Ajith Samaranayake