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

/ < \ f / t:·· '· By PETER CHARLTON Qucenslandcrs have been wait• ing a long time for a suitable building to houso their art trca– rnres. Today, after all those icars since 1895 when the fi rst collec– tion was established, the magnifi– cent Queensland Art Gallery is open 10 view. It was worth the wail. The new gallery. which co,t S28 million, provides 4700 sq m of display space with 15 exhibi– tion areas. These areas will allow the display of the fi ne permanent collection as well as a wide range of loan exhibitions. According to the architect, Ro– bin Gibson, it is not only a place for the collection and exhibit ion of the state's art works. " It is n place where the walls and barri– ers of the gallery a rc broken down, where there is a constant sou rce of interchange between the art world and the public living gallery - a place of subtle and chang,ng light va lues where the ultimate experience of the confrontation between the viewer and the art work can be realised. "To create this, walls have been placed to promote the now or change the course of the viewe r's iti ner a ry !iO that , as one tra verses the galler y, spaces will re veal the subtle va riations to the display. A major oricntn1ion clement of the design is the mall of water which l rav– cr<cs the puhlic area of the gallery," Mr Gibson said. To mark the opening, fi,,c major exhibitions will be held. These exhibitions bring to Br is ba ne piece s from some of the world's most dis– tinguished art collections. THE ISSUES . •• ,,. Art comes alive at last • Thr gallery wlll be oprn from 6pm tu 9pm 1onleht then IOam to 5pm t1ery Monday to Thursday, 10am lo 9pm Fridays, 10am to 5pm Satur– day! •(1111 9pm for two wreks) and noon to 5pm Sundays. Running until August I is an exhibition of pieces from the Idemitsu Collection of Tokyo, described as the first major showi ng of Japa nese art in this country. Another first for Austra– lia is a collection of pictures Gallery director Raoul Mell/ah ... there la apace for 15 exhibition areaa. by the Russia n artist, Vasily Kanditsky, on loan from the Guggenheim Mu seum . Ne w York. This runs until August 8. British wa1crcolors and draw– ings depicting town nnd coun try, shore and sea from the Fi1,willi– am Museum , Cambridge nrc on exhibit unt il July 18. T his fine o – hibition covers three centuries of British art. From the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and the Victo– ria and Albert ,Musuem, London comes an exhibition of Rena, • sancc Bron zes . Thi s will give Quecnslandcrs the opportunity to admire an art form so typical of the Itali an Ren aissa nce. This ends on August 15. A supe rb exhibitio n of 97 p:rintings, drawi ngs and prints by the America n. Edward Hopper, runs until Jul y 25. Hopper has been described as America's forc– rnost rea list artist of the 20th cen– tury. As well. selected works from the gallery's own collection 11ill be on display. But it i. not ju t the wo rks of art th a t rnakc the ga lllery 0pening excit ing Films, conce rt~. dance c,r,h ibit ion.;, pocl· rv re:tdings, kite workshops, Jnp· u·ncsc tea ceremonies and n grand I firework s di spl:t y ton ight "ill help make the opening of thi s splenJid ga llery a time to remcm· bcr.