Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 1 : Presscuttings, 1959-1962

PRINCESS TO BE BUSY ON 15 DAYS TRUTH, Sunday, Princess Alexandria will be committed to engagements for about 15 days of her 22 -day visit to Queens- land later this year. She will arrive in Brisbane on August 18 for the main Queensland Centenary cele- brations. She will leave on Sep-. timber 9 for visits to New Don at Eagle Farm be - South Wales and Vie- tween 2 and 3 p.m. on torla and finally Can -1A tic ust 18: beDa. A welcome at the It is understood that City Hull that afternoon: rest days and Sundays A State reception at will reduce her Queens- Paraliament House to be land engagement days by held in the open air on about a week. the lawn at the rear of She will spend a week the buntline. in Brisbane and a fort- She may also attend a night in country garden patty at Parka - centres. . meta House as part of Highlights of her visit Gundoo. to Brisbane are expected She will open the Royal to include' National Show on August An official recen- Opening role Invitations have also been issued for the Princess to open the extensions to the Public Library in William Street. She will be asked to Mt. Ina, Mary Kathleen, lay the foundation stone Cairns,'1713-try syill', for the new National Art Ma nay and Rork - Gallery in the-grOtuul of I minim. tlle' old Government 14 House in George Street. It is considered that Mr. he Whitsunday Island The Premier, Nieklin. today studied she eights will be Linde - plans for the tour and imoll these will be ulaced by) A meeting of State him before Cabinet ,directors of the Royal tomorrow. tour will he held later The Princess' country tour may include visits to the Risdon Stud near Warwick, where Santa Gertrudis have been introduced to Australia and are being lyed. 0 t h e r country centres sho may visit include Tonwoomba. Charleville Longreach. 1, 1959 his week. when the full details are expected to Inc announced. opsy-curvy on art buys QUEENSLAND'S art world is topsy- turvy. On one hand, the Queensland Art Gallery buys paintings worth E94,800. And on the other, the Brisbane City Council has a valuable art collection it was given free - but keeps it crated and stored in the City Hall basement. The "skeleton" in the Lily Cotmcll's basement Is the Randall Art Collection, the work of a famous early Queensland painter. And, in Centenary Year, the City Council's answer to anyone who wants to see the Randall works Is: "It's not convenient, they are crated and stored in the basement." The paintings are the work of Richard John Randall, who was born in South Brisbane in 1869. only 10 years after Queens- land became a State. His canvasses should be brought to the light of day when we are celebratingour 100th No doubts Randall's ability cannot be doubted. His work was exhibited in the Royal Academy In England. His collection was given to the people of Brisbane, in trust of the City Council, by his relatives. During the last war they were (rated and stored in the basement to allow inure oftIre space and have ;(15),Ten ly been there ,1 , The City Council should realise these paintings be- long to the people of Bris- bane. who are entitled to see them when they want to. "Truth" asked the Queensland Art Oalleiy Director, Mr. It. Haines, about the Randall collec- tion. and he replied: "It's purely a matter for the City Council. PRINCESS AND ART GALLERY THE Premier (Mr. Nicklin I is reported to have said that the Foundation Stone of the new Notional Art Gallery, in the grounds of Old Gov- ernment House, George Street, would be laid by Princess Alexandra. In the list of Royal en- gagements (C. -M.27 4 51) it was disappointing to find no mention of this fact. It seems So fitting that an art gallery worthy of our great State should be begun In this Centenary year. - Daphne Mayo, 147 Gladstone Rd., Highgate Hill. I 1 he State Royal Tour Director 1 Mr. C. J. Ali-- Phersnn 1 said: -The Premier, according to The Courier-Ma.I report of September 'S, / 9 5 F, did not may Princess Ale.randra would lay the foundation stone. -He said the princess would be asked to lay the stone. "It would he a physical impossibility, in the time available to the Princess, to incorporate every function that has been requested...I "COURIER MAIL" Brisbane, Qld. 73 MAY 1951 17 "irs a boat .. . It's a submarine ... No. part of it looks like a sewing machine,". passers-by in The ('ourier-Mail foyer said yesterday. And the Queensland National Art 'Gallery director tMr. Robert Haines) said : "No, they are wrong ... or, perhaps. only halt right." They were commenting on the latest painting in The Courier -Mail Art Panel, a semi -abstract work called "Composition," by Sydney artist John Passmore. An 84 -year -old retired wood-carver, Mr. George Witzke, of Nairn Street. Milton, was very definite about the painting. "Give me a piece of can- vas and some paint and I'll make a copy of the thing for you in less than an hour with my finger, a rag, and a piece of wood. 'Didn't finish", "Ive been painting now for a hobby for the last GO ,veers. It would take me longer to build the frame than to paint that. "It's quite obvious-the artist started nut to paint a boat and didn't get It finished." Miss Robyn Turner, 19, secretary, of Vulture Street, South Brisbane, said : "It's a barge .. no, it's a sub- marine, a rusty submarine. "But I'm not sure. Thal long, dark object, top left, looks like smoke." Miss Kathy Royce, typist. of Cawley Street, Ikedron, said : "That's not IteltIsl'ilTrade missioner (Mr. K. R. Allen) will open Ille Con- tenary Antique Fxhddllnn of the QQurrusland Women's Historical Asso- elation at 11 a.m. next Fri st Newstead. The MP of the _Queensland Nat,. I.Art nitl/ery . Robert Vainestwill' glue short talk after the open - in., a smoke, it's a . sewing ' machine arm." Mr. Ilaines commented : "Those people who thought it was a boat are Just. only Just, beginning to under- stand the painting. "Passmore, one of Syd- ney's outstanding semi- abstraet painters, takes ap- prarances as the starting point in his painting. "Ile begins by painting the appearaitre of a boat, but lie goes further than a mere pictorial representa- tion of tune, "He uses this appearance In a semi -abstract wav to create a work of art which rsists In its own light." WHAT DO YOU THINK? THIS is "Composition," by leading :tdiu-.% s.na .1b.0 rad, lilt Cr. inh" Ansamorp, now hanging nn The Cntli itr-Marl Art Panel.