Brought to Light Australian Art 1850-1965

acquisitions are promoted and received, as a series of bright sparks glowing above the shadow of former glories. However, the permanent collections are extremely important: they provide us with a direct engagement with works of innate significance and, they serve as fascinating reflectors and barometers of taste, values and perceptions of ourselves at various times in our past. For the Queensland Art Gallery, Brought to Light is a welcome volume, coming as it does in the wake of most of our recent publications which are, in the main, scholarly accounts supporting major national and international exhibitions. The Gallery is very much aware of the enduring presence of its Collections, and the fact that interest and knowledge in them is not vested in the Gallery alone. While this publication has provided a special opportunity for staff to publish their most recent research on specific works, Brought to Light has also received important contributions from some thirty other writers from throughout Australia. This book features more than a hundred and sixty works from the Queensland Art Gallerys Australian Art Collection from the period 1850 to 1965, and it draws upon an array of additional works and contextual material to produce a unique title in the context of public gallery publications based on permanent collections. Brought to Light features many newer acquisitions, important lesser known works, and new writing on old favourites. While serving as an anthology on Australian art history, Brought to Light tells us much about the Gallery's Australian Art Collection, its uniqueness, the quirks of its development and information on those who have supported it. In comparison with other state gallery collections, Queensland's is much smaller, yet there are areas of considerable depth — especially the twentieth century, which includes works of seminal importance. All of the contributing authors were given the same flexible brief — to write on their chosen work or works, in essays of between 1000 and 4000 words, and to keep a general readership in mind. The result is sixty papers which are as diverse as art history writing itself has become in the last twenty years. Some of the essays are intense, personal studies of single works; others are more discursive, and deal with whole art movements and their influences. Of course, a hundred and sixty works out of an Australian Art Collection which numbers four thousand cannot tell the whole story, but they do represent some highlights, popular, social and cultural, for the enjoyment and interest of our audiences. Left James Cant Australia 1911-82 The lunch hour 1945 Oil on canvas 101.5x121.5cm Purchased 1998. Queensland Art Gallery Society Queensland Art Gallery The idea for Brought to Light and further volumes planned in this series was launched in 1995 — the Queensland Art Gallery's centenary year. We are delighted that so many writers keenly embraced the invitation to contribute. Gordon and Marilyn Darling have continued their long interest in the Gallery and it is with pleasure that we recognise the support of the Gordon Darling Foundation for this publication. The co-editors are Lynne Seear and Julie Ewington and their immense contribution is warmly acknowledged together with that of the project's manager, Dr Michael Brand, Assistant Director, Curatorial and Collection Development. Thanks are also due to the Gallery's Design Manager, Elliott Murray, and to the Manuscript Editor of Brought to Light , Suzanne Grano. Doug Hall is Director, Queensland Art Gallery FOREWORD 11