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

hip was defeated I)) pawl Narionai Art toaliro' itrustees .Mr. E A. scholar -hip stib-i- -oni yesterday would not Li 11% the 1311i1.11 (11.%,111- ,11 ,will all expos in it, 11:,11t1 prod.Wa. off.ioi to by the Neihei 0 I:: fur Art Ili -- :u. but could 1,, 011am:1qt at spurt 1.,dire .,11411,d again thi- -Ix weeks' lei., Hosed. .111. I. rovers the whole I. loll of Dutch ins- " TELEGRAPH," Minister not to loo. 5 lin itcr ill it. I Moral Ite ries, 1,,, trill not interiere %dal" th- derision of the II", trodces al thy (bleep, 1,111,11 Irv% nal to Ctantleave nl alvvavt g,t111.1 director Mr it Haines' to tempt h ID I r i II 1111 tel Truro the [)otch rim colon:tent 1 of the 1,1 lie intervene he ii Ion supplied It itultr,olial that such 0 -.hilt II one en' irel) Tito trustees. 5.1r :1 - BRISBANE TELEGRAPH, WEB,. JAN. 11. 105, Art trip inquiry The Minister for Educa- tion t Mr. Devriest is to make an immediate in- quiry into the refusal of the Queensland National Art Gallery trustees to grant leave to the gal- lery director (Mr. Robert te.v,ines I to accept a scho.. 'hipi from the Dutch Govereain.ent. Leave of absence -el- live months was required by Mr. Haines to go to Hol- land to do a course offered by the Nether- lands Institute for Art History. The Minister sand there was no record in his de- portment. which Is charged with the bug - From "COURIER MAIL," e°- R.:A.0-nes Qld. BOOST Q'LAND NATIONAL GALLERY Biggest art week', opens next month ('UEENSLAND'S first Notional 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. DOA rice). 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 on paintings on the City Hall steps, the approach to the City Hall, and on buildings around King George Square. The Chairman of Trustees of the Gallery (Mr. E, A. Ferguson' said yesterday the object. was to make art and 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. Outstanding attraction of the week would be an ()gill-, bitlon of British water colours, specially sent from Britain, at the Gallery. i Original paintings from the Gallery would be dis- played in the windows of lending business houses In Brisbane as well as special exhibitions on the art panel of The Courier -Mail. A prize of 20 guineas had been given by the Trustees to the poster best suited to attract attention to Art Gallery Week. Winner of this poster competition, resol's of which were announced vi s- terday. was Mr. ihrhard Werr els y giving. !Queensland National Art Gallery trustees have refused the gallery director (Mr. Robert Haines) leave to accept a scholarship from the Dutch Govern- ment.1 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" would not bother to listen to anybody talking about 17th century Dutch Art and the Flemish Primitives who had not visited the Rijksmuseum at Amsterdam and the Mati ritzhuis at The Hague, and other Dutch and Flemish galleries. In Amsterdam also the Municipal Gallery has or hod a marvellous and inexhaust- ible collection of Van Gogh drq,wings. 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 the 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 tha Continent, a poor substitute, of course, for the original plan?-.1. V. Duhig, Wickham Terrace, Brisbane. RIIR-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, 1253, about the competence of some of the Art Gallery trustees to make important decisions pertain- ing to the development of art in this State. On 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 purchase was opposed by at least one trustee and the transaction fell through. Now, to our everlasting shame, 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 prestige that has been so carefully built tip over the last few years by Mr. Haines and his predecessor. Mr. Campbell.- Tom Parker, 13th Avenue, Elam& "COURIER MAIL," 1' is ..),b - Art trustees Qld' IT will he a loss to Queensland a 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 Queersland 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 QueensIsucL It is also treating Mr. Haines as though he were no more then a gal- ler caretaker for the trustees. "COURIER MAIL," geed - Brisbane, Qld Art refusal "strange" IT is hard to understand A 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 13), 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 gifts to the gallery of valu- able works of art which stem directly front Mr. Haines' las visit to Europe. And there are also treasures in the Gallery now, which would never be there but for Mr. Haines' knowledge of their existence, 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 The great value of art lies in its 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- bane. . . ....Periodic visits to Europa arc almost a necessity for those in direction of art affairs in Australia, and if our Gal- lery is to take its place amongst the great collections of art, it seems ill-advised not to seize every help to that end.-Vida Lahey. St. Lucia Road, St. Lucia.