Acquisitions 1951-1953

Th e new era began when the first Director of the Gallery was appointed on 7th November, 1949, and, during the period of eighteen months when Mr. Robert Campbell was Director, a transformation in the Gallery took place. On 23rd April, 1951, Mr. Robert Haines took up duty as Director, and his sustained efforts have resulted in acquisitions for the Gallery which are notable A M a n y of the world's important public art collections have been made Th e Trustees and Director are of opinion that art should have a place in possible, wholly or in part, by public benefactors. Money is necessary t o buy the life of every citizen; that art should not be for the few, but for all; that the works of art. 0401 Az z e t A , pleasure and inspiration of firt-class works of art should not be reserved for Queensland, unlike some of the other Austral , ' n States, has not enjoyed the wealthy few, but for the public. many of the large gifts and bequests which 1nakeea sy the purchase of works L Within recent years there has been a renaissance in cultural activities in of art. For years, the Queensland Gallery had little or no financial assistance, Brisbane and great public interest has been shown in art exhibitions and lectures. and thus the assembling of a collection of paintings had little plan or purpose One healthy sign during these years is that more paintings have been purchased and those responsible were unable to lay down, and follow, a policy, by private buyers from exhibitions in Brisbane, pro rata t o population, than Th e Queensland Government, by its annual grants to the Gallery, has in any other capital in Australia. been its principal benefactor, and here tribute is paid to the Queensland Th e Trustees are hopeful that, as the Queensland Government have Government which, recently, has almost doubled that grant. assisted in such a practical manner, their example will be followed by others. On 1st July, 1952, the grant was increased from £3 , 750 per year to If ample funds are provided, it is not difficult to augment and improve the £7 , 000 per year, and the Trustees' thanks are extended to the Cabinet and to State's, national art n~... the Hon. the Minister for Public Instruction (Hon. G. H. Devries) for this We trust that this exhibition o j t ' ? t acquisitions may be the means by action. which our Gallery will benefit b.y gifts, an bequests, which will enable us to As a result of the increased grant the Trustees who have long been aware provide more works of a r - t bring the c o ' c t i o n to a standard comparable o f the gaps in the present collection, resolved to embark upon a policy of with that of other State \ purchasing works of art by Australian artists of importance, who were not Th e works o 1 , é t here shown, many of wNçh were purchased from the represented in the Gallery. Treweeke Beqi,sk(are an example of just what ma be done. They were assisted in this policy by the generous action of a benefactor, J o h n Darnell, who, in the year 1936, made a bequest to the Queensland B. A. FERGUSON, National Art Gallery of £10,000, as a result of which the Trustees receive about Chairman o f Trustees. £400 per year in income. In 19 5 1, Miss Maria Theresa Treweeke, who had been for years a generous supporter of the Gallery, died, making a bequest of £2,000 " t o be expended solely in the purchase of pictures." Th u s the Trustees were able t o make purchases of certain works which would otherwise have been beyond their / means. Generous gifts were made by Mrs. Lucy Carrington Wertheim of twenty-five contemporary English watercolours and drawings, and Mr. S. L. Courtauld presented twenty-seven important Turner engravings. These gifts are deeply appreciated by the Trustees, who feel that the interest of overseas donors in our National Gallery is a good-will gesture which resolves itself into a challenge to our own.,people. If Queensland is to take its proper place in the framework of art in Australia, it must, as early as possible, bring its collection u p t o the standard of a worthwhile State collection. ft 2 3