Exhibition of Queensland Art: Commonwealth Jubilee Celebrations 1951

In helping to build up these results we might note the Art Library which was ob- COMMONWEALTH J UB I L E E CELEBRATI0NS tamed for Brisbane from the Carnegie Corporation of New York by the Queensland Art Fund in 1936 (by virtue of work previously done for art), also the weekly lunch- BR I SBANE , 1951 time Talks at the Library, which commencing in 1937, and continuing for four years, helped considerably in widening interest in art and art books. From these Friday lectures stemmed a series of courses on the History of Art which were afterwards undertaken privately. Mention might also be made of the thousands of art-conscious American troops whose demands in 1943 helped to stimulate the book sellers to regard art seri- ously, and thus satisfy and at the same time create a greatly increased demand for art E X H I B I T I O N b o o k s . of QUEENSLAND ART The Fine Art section of books and reproductions in the University Library and the collection of reproductions and books in the Teachers' Training College must not be forgotten either. The appreciation of art through books, reproductions, and lectures is easily merged into the enjoyment of art, as seen in exhibitions. They too were almost unknown in the early days, and occurred only occasionally, in later years, but have increased tremend- ously in the last decade. They are of two kinds, the incoming and the outgoing. The first of the former came nearly fifty years ago and consisted of a very fine collection of British paintings, the expense of which was guaranteed by a special committee under the leadership of Mr. Rivers. The first outgoing exhibitions were those sent from the Art Gallery to the larger towns of Central and Western Queensland in 1907 and 1909. P E T E R ABRAHAM, born Brisbane, 1927; studied under P. Stanhope Hobday and Exhibitions were again sent from it on three occasions during the forties. Th e last o f Melville Haysom and a t the National Gallery School, Melbourne; member of the these displays was an Exhibition on wheels, viz., the Jubilee A r t Train, which left Bris- Royal Queensland A r t Society; a t present i n Melbourne. bane early this year bearing a beautifully presented selection of Australian pictures to tour 1. SUBURBAN SUNDAY, MELBOURNE, Oil. L e n t b y Mrs. D. L. Abraham. Queensland for nine months, visiting about a hundred towns. In the reverse direction we may note that on the removal of the A r t Gallery to its present quarters in 1931 a large collection of pictures was brought from the National . U G S SHENTON ANNAND, born Toowoomba, 1903; studied a t the Central A r t Galleries of Victoria and New South Wales by the Queensland Art Fund and dis- Technical College, Brisbane, under Martyn Roberts; commenced studying Corn- played in the premises in George Street which had just been vacated by the Gallery. mercial Art i n Sydney In 1925; member of t h e Society of Artists, t h e contemporary Art Society, Sydney, a n d the Society of Industrial Artists, London; won t h e Sul- This was the first Exhibition of this type since 1900. 1950-5 1 has been marked by man Prize twice; principal designer f o r t h e Australian Pavilion, New York World great developments in this direction, and the National Gallery in that period has pre.. Fair; won two medals, A.O.LA . assisted in murals on the "Orcades" and the "Oronsay"; represented in all principal A r t Galleries I n Australia; has resided sented an impressive array of important exhibitions, beautifully shown. in Sydney for some years. T u r n i n g to the private galleries and exhibitions we find the same thing—a very 2. DU SK ON T H E ATHERTON TABLELAND, Water-colour. great increase in the last few years, and id contrast to the long period of years in which L e n t b y Col. F . W . G. Annand. the Gainsborough Gallery was the only one in Brisbane, there are now four private 3. FISHERMAN'S HUT, TUGGERAR, N.S.W., Water-colour. galleries functioning, with continuous exhibitions almot all the year round. L e n t b y Col. F . W . G. Annand. But it is not exhibitions and galleries alone whch determine the status of art in a city, and if a true estimate is to b e made, we should consider not only the sculpture and paintings in this exhibition, but the architecture and the sculptural decorations in our town; the stained glass, wood carving and murals in our churches, and the taste displayed CAROLINE BARKER, b o r n Melbourne, Victoria; studied a t t h e National Gallery School, Melbourne, the Byam Shaw School, London, and the Royal Academy in our homes. Whatever that estimate may be, improvement is neded. This can be Schols, London; exhibited at the Paris Salon; life member and Councilor reached in only one way, viz., more and better education from all the various institutions t h e Royal Queensland A r t Society. whose course we have been tracing. 4. PORTRAIT (T. Lewis Esq.), Oil. L e n t b y t h e Artist.