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

"COURIER MAIL," From "COURIER MAIL," 1 JAN 19s4, Brigham. Old ART DIRECTOR REFUSED LEAVE ON SCHOLARSHIP Qi EENsi..,N., Nation have refused Ibe gall !1111111.0 11'1%1' 10 111'1414 1)0(.11 I illterflhiellt. A mutillii to allow Mr. I laines leave of Phsclice to take up the scholar - ',hip was defeated hyi Ir ostees. The scholarship. subsi- .eti by the Dutch (bittern - went with all expenses in Holland paid, was offered t Mr. Ifaines by the Nether - hoot, to,titote for All, His- tory last year, but could not be arranged al short not ire. It was offered again this year, Ind the ft niontic.' leave of ale:encr twee,sary to emer the ,ix weeks' 11I15.1' W:15 fettiseti. The emirs., covers tlut whole period of liarb his - al .% triodee err director (Mr. Robert it scholarship fr the bolt nod inelurles mr or, I'd tour', to places where the t -Is were horn and tvorked. chairman of the Queem- land National Art. Gallery trustees .Mr. E. A. remit- saul yesterday would not. comment. "TELEGRAPH," Minister not The 31inister tar L 11111',1110i1 Mr. llrt sic' mill not intertere will, the derision of the trustees of the 1/tiecre.- land National Art Gal- len not to van( leave or aic.core to the calico director NI, I: flalitesi 10 arrept ',r It !liar, i 1 on art bi.too from the little'. (i!n.eritnient Ie. N'11,1 I!! fit..1 dot 1. ...! ,t Luta.- ',!!!! 11! fnint. 1, not ins ':coney,' to oft-tion ut to interfere itii any tiet-tne. f!..tchett rel.-ante lo the enitinet Lind .untrol of tile ttalier to intervene 11 ittrnla !on :4101)11eCi to Lim ItiChealtd that ,:tich tlectsaon oar it Ivo! for the I riesh.".s. iull 1.)etTies ,,aoj BRISBANE TELEGRAPH, TUBB.. JAN. 11, 10.55 40.11...41. Art trip inquiry The for Educa- tion lair. Devriesi is to make an Immediate In- quiry into the refusal of the Queensland National Art Gallery trustees to grant leave to the gal- lery direettw I Mr. Robert to accept a r am the Dutch Govenstment. Leave of absence -04 - five months was required by Mr. Raines to go to 1101 - land to do a course offered by the Nether- lands Institute for Art History. The Minister sail there was no record in his de- partment, whirl, is charged with the busi- From "COURIER MAIL," TO BOOST Q'LAND NATIONAL GALLERY one, Qld. Biggest art week opens next month nUEENSLAND'S first National Art Gallery Week, from October 25-29, will usher in the biggest art week in Queensland's history. National Art Gallery Week will be officially opened in King George Square at 1.15 pm on October 25 by the Educa- tion Minister (Mr. Dew. ries). There will be a spectacular' outdoor display by hundreds, of young artists. Young artists will present a City Hall pavement shoW and will be seen at work oil paintings on the City Hall steps, the apprnaeli to the City Hall, and oil imildino around King George Square. The Chairman of Trustee, of the Gallery t Mr. E A. Fergusont said yesterday Hie object, was to make art slid the 'Art Gallery better known. Daily talks Mr. Ferguson said that during Art Week, there would be illustrated talks each lunch-hour in the City Hall, Evening lectures would be held at the Art Gallery. the week Outstanwodinuldg abe ottracntioenhoi- f x Brisbane, Qld. GALLERY RAN ",INDEFENSIBLE" Dutch snubbed over !READ iC.-M. 11/1/551 of the latest Art Gallery incident with more than ordinary interest and mis- giving. [Queensland National Art Gallery trustees have refused the gallery director (Mr. Robert Haines) leave to accept a scholarship from the Dutch Govern- ment.] I have visited the great Dutch galleries to which the. DUtch Government invited Mr. Robert Haines at their expense. There is no other way of becoming as familiar as it is desirable for a director to be with his material than by a personal visit to the scenes of the lives of the great painters and to the galleries that house their works. A "MUST" I would not bother to listen to anybody talking about 17th century Dutch Art and the FlemishPrimitives who had not visited the RiJksmuseum at Amsterdam and the Mall- ritzhuis at The Hague, and other Dutch and Flemish galleries. In Amsterdam also the Municipal Gallery has or ha.] a marvellous and Inexhaust- ible collection of Van Gogh dryings. These things are a must for any director. To see Vermeer's "Delft" at The Hague alone is worth the visit. I feel sure that at least two of the trustees voted to accept the Dutch invitation which now has been snubbed since University teachers know th" Inestimable value of study leave to a director and the community he serves. Bris- bane and Queensland will suffer. SHORT-SIGHTED The majority made a short- sighted and, to me, indefen- sible, decision which the Gov- ernment should try to reverse immediately. If they cannot salvage our prestige, would it be possible to ask the Dutch Government to award the Fellowship to a Queensland artist of repute living in London or on th.3 Continent, a poor substitute, of course, for the original plan? -1 V. Duhig, Wickham Terrace, Brisbane. RIER-MAIL MONDAY JANUARY 24 1955 Art answer is clear THE art -loving public of Brisbane has had its answer to a question I raised In August, 1951. shout the competence nf some of thr Art. Gallery trustees to make important decisions pertain - art invitation mg to the development of art al tint State. 011 that occasion a very fine work by Russell Drysdale Was chosen by Mr. Robert Haines as a suitable and highly de- sirable addition to the Art Gallery collection: but its parehase was opposed by at least one trustee and the tramact ion tell through. Now, to our everlasting donne, permission has been refused the director of the gallery to accept an import- ant and useful scholarship It seems that most of the trustees by their lack of vision are robbing the Queensland Art Gallery of the pirstice that has been sn carefully built op over the last few years by Mr. Haines and his predecessor, Mr. Campbell.- Tam Parker, 13th Avenue, Elsner& , "COURIER MAIL," '31 o Art trustees Qld. IT will be a loss to Queensland art lovers and students if the director of the National Gallery (Mr. Robert Haines) is not able to accept the scholarship offered him by the Netherlands Institute for Art History. He would have much to tell them on returning to Brisbane after a six weeks' course of study in a country that is one of the great trea- sure houses of Western art, For the trustees of the Queensland National Gallery to refuse Mr. Haines the leave of absence he would require to visit Holland looks like an un- gracious response to a compli- ment to Queensland. It is also treating Mr. Haines as though he were no more than a gal- ler caretaker for the trustees. "COURIER MAIL," tevetth , Brisbane, Qld Art refusal "strange,/ IT is hard to understand why the Trustees of the National Art Gallery of Queensland should act In a way which seems so contrary to the true interests of that institution by refusing to grant leave of absence to its Director to attend the art conference in Holland In re- sponse to the invitation of the Dutch Government. The more first-hand know- ledge of the art of the world which a director can gain, and the more contacts he can make with persons experi- enced in the choice, care, and display of works of art, the more valuable will be his ser- vices to the Art Gallery. Gifts to gallery But it is not only the deepened experience gained through studying the great art collections of Europe (marvellous though that is), and the interchange of ideas with art experts, which are so valuable, but also the personal contacts which he may make, and through which much may eventuate. We already have proof of this particular result In the gbte works e f garte which vsaeu directly from Mr. Haines' last visit to Europe. And there are also treasures in the Gallery now, which would never be there but for Mr. Haines' knowledge of their existeeee. which was gained on his visit to England, to- gether with knowledge of the possibility of favourable terms for our Gallery-which he has since been able to obtain, to our great enrich- ment. So it seems strange that, after returning last time with "Bernard Shaw," "Esther," and Licherts "Studio" so to speak "in his pocket" that he is refused the opportunity to try to do it again. Fresh contact 'roe great value of art lies III it, communicative power, and the vivifying effect of fresh contact with the art of overseas, by the Director, would in turn stimulate and advance art interest in Bris, ba.n.e...Fertotlic visits to Europe are almost a necessity for those III direetion of art affairs in Australia. and If our Gal- lery is to take its place amongst the treat, collections of art, it seems ill-advised not I.0 seize CVN'y 111.11) to that entoicia.(7, Stirltdaune Lliai bey. St. Lucia