Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 10 : Record of press coverage, March 1982 - May 1984

r I The Courier-Mail 21 December 1983 people HEARD of L.J. Harvey? Neither have most people, unless, that is. they arc over 80. L.J . Harvey is the famous Queens– land artist no-one has heard of. Like all truly great artists. he skipped fame and recognition for the generation follow– ing his death. but he is about to make a comeback. according to Harvey expert Glen Cooke. curator of decorative arts at the Queensland Art Gallery. "For the past 40 years L.J. Harvey has been totally neglected," said Cooke, whose aim it is to reverse the situation. Well-known as an artist whose work ranged from wood craft, leather work and ceramics to the more traditional oils and watercolors, Harvey was most noted for his work as an art teacher. His main claim 10 fame was when he made art history by being the nation's first ceramics teacher. One of his stu• dents held the first pottery exhibition in Queensland. Sadly, Harvey was not an artist of exceptional merit. his major signifi– cance being historical rather than artis– tic. Cooke hedged when asked about L.J. Harvey's creative ability: "Well, I wouldn't say he's the greatest artist to ever hit the world scene," he said. "But he's significant as a Queens– land artist and teacher." Harvey's youngest pupil is now aged 73, and as much of Cooke's research was collected after speaking to former students, details of his life are a bit sketchy. His research took him from newspa– pers to nursing homes. Many people migh't have a Harvey and not know it, he said. Not that they would have any value - you would have 10 wait for the predicted resur– gence of interest in Harvey to cash in on any boom. 'Tm hoping little old ladies have Harvey pieces stashed away in their back cupboards," he said . "There will be a big upsurge in inter– est.in L.J . Harvey. It always takes an– other generation 10 look at an artist with different eyes, to appreciate what he may have ach ieved in the context of time." GALLERY CURATOR Glen Cooke holding t~o L J, Haney ~ts. Cooke is appealing lo anyone who might have a Harvey or any of his stu– dents' work to lend to the gallery for a Harvey exhibition he is preparing to begin on Queensland Day next year. Born in England, Harvey's family migrated to Au stralia when young L.J. was three years old. He began teach ing in 1916 and died in 1949. "He was very well known," Cooke said. "lie exhibited annually for the Royal Queensland Art Society and the Crafts Society." The newspaper reviews ohtrr,hibi– tions at the time weren't at.all' 'tfcal, said Cooke. They described all hibi– tions.a~ "~xcelle~t", ignori~g rthur acslhellc d1agnos1s. . ··: . Those who think they may h:1ve a llarvey can contact Glenn Coo~c pn 240 7316. · ~ "/ . ~- - SUSA CULLIN N ..