Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 1997-98

Prints, Drawings and Photographs The Australian holdings of contemporary works on paper have been augmented this year by Drift 1994, a large multipanelled relief print by lmants Tillers, and a number of print images by, among others, Neil Emmerson and Marine Ky. Of the drawing acquisitions, particular mention should be made of a commanding work by Dale Frank which was gifted by the artist. In the International field, special funding went towards the acquisition of a choice collection of recent German photographs by, among others, Bernhard Prinz and Candida Hofer. Other acquisitions include the 'War of Resistance against the French' series, a rare group of lithographs by Vietnamese artists dated 1953, and a number of watercolour drawings which testify to a productive collaboration in 1997 between Melbourne artist Jon Cattapan and Indian artist Surendran Nair. From the collection of the late Geraldine Halls, twenty-eight ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints of exceptional quality were purchased with profits from the 'Paris in the Late 19th Century' exhibition. The generous donation of Fluxus works by Francesco Conz led to the exhibition 'Francesco Conz and the lntermedia Avant– Garde'. Among the international visitors who presented Fluxus performance pieces in Brisbane at the time of the show were Alison Knowles, Ben Patterson and Eric Andersen. A comprehensive catalogue edited by the Curator and Nicholas Zerbrugg accompanied the project. The exhibition attracted favourable critical attention throughout Australia and overseas. The Prints, Drawings and Photographs section generated the exhibitions 'Observed & Contrived: Recent International Photography from the Collection' and 'From the Block', selected relief prints from the Collection. In addition, regular rotations of prints, drawings and photographs from the Collection occurred throughout the year in the International and Australian galleries. /-?uu.d R. ~~ 27