Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 1998-99

S I Queensland Art Gallery 1 Chairman's Report During 1998-99, the Gallery furthered its aim to enhance access, understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts in Queensland. The Gallery's program throughout the year featured several important national and international exhibitions, a number of initiatives to develop and highlight the State Collection, and a range of activities aimed at extending and developing the Gallery's services and audiences. Some of the year's highlights included an increased focus on youth audiences; enhanced research on the Collection, including the major publication Brought to Light; increased attention on Queensland heritage; and landmark donations by supporters, including the Myer Foundation and family. There were several highlights in the year's exhibition program. 'This Other Eden: British Paintings from the Paul Mellon Collection at Yale' was a highly successful and impressive display of four centuries of British masterpieces. The exhibition was complemented by extensive educational and other public programs. 'Indonesian Gold: Treasures from the National Museum, Jakarta' was a visually spectacular exhibition which included seventy gold objects spanning the seventh to the twentieth centuries. It later travelled to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The exhibition was given special design attention to create an integrated display of works and educational material. 'Yvonne Audette: Abstract Paintings 1950s Ef 1960s' explored the Australian artist's early work and, together with the accompanying publication, confirmed her as a key figure in the development of Australian abstraction in the 1950s and 1960s. 'Picasso and the Vollard Suite' proved popular with audiences and was complemented by a display of Picasso's works from the Gallery's own Collection. Special attention was given to children and youth during the year, and two exhibitions were presented specifically for younger audiences. The Pepito Series of Children's Exhibitions, 'portraits are people pictures' and 'scary monsters', was widely acclaimed and incorporated the use of audio technologies and advanced display techniques. The Gallery's first children's activity books, based on works in the Collection, were extremely popular with children and adults alike. Collection-based exhibitions included a major display of 'Recent Acquisitions 1995-1998', a sculpture exhibition 'Transformations: A Century of Sculpture', 'Woodfired Ceramics from the Collection', 'Aspects of the Harvey School', 'Luminous:Glass from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection', 'Conrad Martens and the Darling Downs' and 'Art Pared Down: Exploring Minimalism across Media'. New technologies such as multi-media and video were displayed in 'Shorelines: Particles and Waves' and 'The Liquid Medium: Video Art'. Staff were also engaged in detailed planning and preparation for the Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, opening on 9 September 1999. This event includes seventy-seven artists from twenty countries in the Asia-Pacific region and has involved an extensive process of development and collaboration. The Gallery continued to tour exhibitions, both in regional Queensland and interstate. Regional travelling exhibitions are an important part of the Gallery's efforts to bring the visual arts to all Queenslanders wherever they may live. 'The Art of Inclusion: Recent Australian Photography' visited five regional centres, and 'Luminous: Glass from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection' opened at the Gallery in June and will subsequently visit ten regional centres. The major touring retrospective 'Emily Kame Kngwarreye - Alhalkere' enjoyed a popular finale at the National Gallery of Australia following a fifteen-month national tour. This major project reflected the Gallery's ongoing commitment to Indigenous Australian art and the broader process of reconciliation. Queensland's visual art heritage was given special priority during the year. Six colonial watercolours by Conrad Martens, including four views of the Darling Downs and acquired last year with the assistance of an extraordinarily successful fund-raising campaign by the Foundation, were unveiled by the Governor of Queensland in September. In June 1999 the Gallery appointed its first Research Curator (Queensland Heritage(. The publication of Brought to Light: Australian Art 1850-1965 from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection completed one of the Gallery's most ambitious research and interpretation projects based on the Collection. The book features sixty essays by forty-seven Gallery and external writers. A Family Focus Day was held to highlight both the publication and the Gallery's Australian art collection and featured tours, lectures and family activities. Other important publications during 1998-99 included Yvonne Audette: Abstract Paintings 1950s 8 1960s, Indonesian Gold: Treasures from the National Museum, Jakarta and the new booklet series