The margaret Olley Art Centre at the Tweed River Art Gallery to officially open next Sunday

THE slightly ripped and decaying curtains are the first thing you glimpse when you walk around the corner of the new wing at the Tweed River Art Gallery

Margaret Olley in her Sydney studio. Pic: Getty

THE slightly ripped and decaying curtains are the first thing one glimpses when walking around the corner of the new wing at the Tweed River Art Gallery.

But rather than signalling something old or dying, the fabric instead sends a message to art lovers about the latest cultural treasure trove they are about to encounter.

The curtains and the ­window they hang in are all part of the recently created $4 million Margaret Olley Art Centre, which will officially open next Sunday.

More than two years ago, after her death in July 26, 2011 aged 88, every item from the yellow and orange rooms of the nation’s best still life painter’s well-known Paddington, Sydney, studio were packed up, sent to the Tweed to be placed in storage.

Now the kitchen, sitting and dining rooms have been recreated and people can inspect the areas through a series of openings that have been skilfully created by ­designers.

Tweed River Art Gallery director Susi Muddiman explained that putting the rooms back together was like building a giant jigsaw.

Margaret Olley in her Sydney studio. Pic: Getty

“The rooms were broken into several parts each, and each portion was given a number,” she said.

“Then each individual item had a number so when we had to put everything back, we could match it up.”

Dozens of photographs of Ms Olley’s studio were also taken to ensure the 76,000 items were put in the right place.

The final effect has been to create a colourful, comfortable and crowded space where you can imagine the famous artist in every corner.

“She worked everywhere — even the kitchen,” Ms Muddiman said. “She followed the light around the house.”

Almost 30,000 people flocked to the gallery when Ben Quilty’s Archibald winning portrait of Olley was put on display, so Ms Muddiman and the Tweed Shire Council, which made a big contribution to the project, are expecting similar numbers of people to visit the new wing in the next few months.