Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 3 : Presscuttings, Sept 1959 - Sept 1967

ACTION on new ART '!P.~ GALLERY much 11,,,1,11111111111,,,,111111111,,,,,,11,,,,,,,,11111,,,,1111111 ,11111111uummm1111111mu1111m111m,n waste ' 1111111,1111111111,,,,,,1,1111111111111,1111,,,,,,,11,11,11111111 T HE need for a new art galle~y has become urgent and pressing. advocated e (jUM•:/\'S/,.41\' IJ Alff ,;_.u,/,f,'IU' d111ir1111111 (Sir L,,,m 1'r1111I) a11 ,prtetl i11 " 11111•cifll flrtide (t:../U,, 1 .'i/ 1 I/ 66) that (jmwmlm11I 1l1•1111rr11trly 11re1lefl " 111otler11 11rr ,r11IIPr.,· - 11rP/Pral1I_,. a ,·11ll11r11I 1:e11tre 111 allrflct ,,,,,,,,le o/ 11f/rJ·i11,r illt,•r,•#111, ffprp, ltfr. J11lm Dalto11, a11 exPc11ti11e commilll't' 1111m. 11/ t/1p, C,mt1m11mrary Art11 . 1 fo,:il'I)' o/ 1f1111trt1lifl (Q11re1111/1111,l l,r,1111·#1), 1wi11t11 ,ml lw11, ('11Pr1111laml i11 fol(,:i11,r l,rl,iml 11tl1rr St11tr11 i11 f,wilitir11 /or tl,,. ,li1111lay o/ arl a11,l 11r11r.11 tl1r (.)11,•r11.•l1111tl G111IPrJ· tr1111tre11 to ,<et on 111itl1 llui jol, 11/ r.dt1l1lid1i11,r n ,,,.,,, ,r11llrry • , • • By JOHN DALTON Queensland is the only State which has never set out to meet the artistic needs of its community by the erection of a building designed 1pecially l~clnir the BotRJ1lc Ga r– dens and old Government Ho11sc II .sell was to be 111- clurled In the scheme ln order t.o house period furn– iture, ~ilver, glass, coramlcs, nnd other nrt museum objecLs. a, an art gallery. Melbourne's NAlionAI GAiiery WAS built In the 1860's And 1870's And All the other cApilAI cities except BrisbAne followed suit. gR?i~l~;e ~~:e'A;J.~h~~ tl~ecl~ ~~~a~l~~\Cik!1o~ ~b::l\1.rin~h:;~ extending. Victoria'• new N•tlonRI GRllery nnd CulturAI Cen– tre which Includes theatres and other amenities brsldc• the galle1·y proper, has Rl– reRrlY been begun. It covers 71 Rcres and wlll eo•t $16 mllllon The cost ol the Rallery ltselr ls estlmnted at sn million. The VlrtorlAn oo,•ernment ~\..~pe~~ln1f,i,sl.~~j~~t e:~~ w111 cont.lnuc to rlo so unlll It I• eomplele. The public has sn far subscribed $1,220,000. Country ...................... In Victoria, there Rre, 111 adrlltlon, nine provincial galleries In country towns with populaLlons far less thnn that or BrlsbRne, let 11lone Quecnslnnrl. Mnny ol these gAllerles are as good as nnd s0me are better thAn the existing Q1e1f' 1 ~ 1 :,(~rl r:C~i"~;r'!~'J' m recelvJng substnntlAI gov– ernmr.n tnl support. The~Government hM gt,•en up to $100,000 to each nl three r ew projects nt H•m– llton, 11- lldura, Rnd Sheppnr- Ion, ond -..,1stonre totallln11 $20,000 for upkeep ls belng l ,\11':i~,r~•.m~~\ 1 1ir~t ":~.,'~\~~: CAsllemalne, Geelon~. and IVArrnambool - soon to be Joined by Sheppnrton 11nd SAIC. The NAtlonAI Gallery ol South Austrnlla l!As recently Arlderl a new wing tor $34R.000. HobArt's new wing, bl'llt At • coot or $370,000, wss opened In JAnuAry lhls yenr. A new wln11 I• about to he R<lned to the Art Gallery nl New South Wnles. This wlll be or so\'en storeys Anrl wlll cost $1,600,000. EAch or these new wings has been or will be built without n.sk – lna the public to subscribe. ln QueenslAnd mnny at- ~~i1~~tf~,{1R~'e ":n:~,, "~6~:is~~ ent with thl, state's lm– portn11ce. Various citizen• and F.:~~R:ct° 1ci~L~rJ:,i~~ vtn c~g;, bullrlinir up of the Gallery·s collectlon bi' l'Alsln~ 11nd mnklnR funds AVAIiabie [or the presentRtion or works ol nrt.s. But 1,he houslna or 1.11"se' lncreaslnRlv lmporlAnt eol– lcctlons hris bce11 A history of 1,'. 111 Pf~t~~'t~1~~-ted people ApproAched the Government to mAke t,he bealnnlnKs ol n collectlon. It wAs housed In rnoms ln the Old Town Hnll . ".J:.~ 1:,~~,.fJ:.rPi,? ~~=rtt~~ floor or the Execut.lve Bulld– ln~. In 1930-31 the collection was moved to Its present slt,e In whAt h•d been u,ed "-' a concert hAII adJol11lnK the museum . · At the time It WRA be– lieved thAt this was A tem– porary ,xpedlent pending I he erection ol II proper gallery. In IRCt, In 1934. the Premier tMr. W. Fot·g•n Smith ) snld In the Esll– mAtes debnte 1.hAt a new Knllery buildIna "·• s 11rge11tly needed And ,n IA35 hi• Government prnm– lsed to erect one. Director It WAS not until 1049 lh •I R lull-lime director wAs appointed. Durlna his short term ol olllce nnd wllh designs mAde by Prorcs.sor Cummings, the concert hAll :·r!1~: 11 c~tnh·: A~vd ~;~t,t::~fo,;~ ~lfow !fa~ :::t~~ddl;~1~~- to This mnde lhe RAIier~• look more nrescntn ble In– side_ but n!Ade no Impres– sion on the mn)nr dllflc11 ll– les or dlsplav And slor• Rc spA.cc. Snm@ .\'C'AI'~ Inter. c1lll'IIU· Cente11Ary Year 1959 the Educnt.lon Minister <Mr. Plzzey) snokr 111 t.he House about. tile neerl lnr A new Art Rnllery In Queens!And And t.hro1tRh his efforts An Act ol PArlinment wn., nAssed to brlnR this about. . At t.hAt, time II new bonrd ol truste"" WRS formed, especially empowered under the Act to establish the gallery on lt,'1 new site. A site was chosen Along– side nld Government House At this most promising 1-tnce. the erection o( a ntw •nllcry became contused with other centenAry pro– Jecls whic'h, It seemed to many or the tru~tecs. would liuve made the RAllery pnrt of n network or halls or bt11ldln~• ha1·ln51 little rrl•I Ion lo It. The director resil,!n<'d . In Mny. 1064. " rter dl•– cusslons bPrwrcn the Oov– P.rnmcnt, the tru:;tee~ And 1he Cclllennrv Co:nmlllec. Mr. Pl1.zev mncte n press st1t1emen1. which helped to clcnr the ntr. He said lhnl " cult urnl crnt re wnHlrt be 1Jt1ilL n t the lower rnd ol Oeorae Street •lon2slde oM Government Hou~e. Subsidy ......................... It. would consist of t wn b111ldlnas unde1 sep•1·ate con1.rols. One would be • Pioneers' Ccn Lenarv HRII , sent ina u11 to 1500. which wo11ld provide lacllltics !or 1hcntl'<". music n11d ot her cul u1rnl ACI.IVILlcs. The 01hrr woulct be the new llRl– lrrv. Mr. Pl1.zev •Aid t.hRt Lhe PSI lmA terl cost ol th e pro– Jcct WRS £600,000 Rnd of 1his !he Government had agreed to contribute £250,000 over a r;ve-vear period on a £ !or £ basis. The ralslnR or funds wn.s entru,ted to the Centennrv Finanr~ Committee •nd when enouah money hAs been raised tn bcaln the project a commltlee or srvCn- two Onvrrnnicn t member.ii ;, two 11:Rller.v tn1:,;– tce reorcsenLnUvcs. two gi~r,;?:fr.~e~~~1a1~11 ~ in~!~~~ Ihe Brisbane CHY Cnuncll -would be est.nbllshed t.o Alloca le the fund carter cnnsullln~ I.he Centen• rv Exeeullve Commll.leel. No S!Alr.ment• have been published ot the Centenary Finance Cnmmlt.tec's pro– ~-ress nnr hns any puhllc Annrnl bern lnnnrhcrl hv It slnr<" Mr. Piz1.cv'!- stntr.- "Anxiousll II ROPC'nrs thr. Tr11sl C'f"/oi nrr now n n x;ous 10 nrnkr n cif'trrm111rc1 effort tn cto whnt thcv nrc <'n • 1.n1.o;tNi wll h ctnh11z 111,ci rr 1he Acl-to cstnhllsh A new Gallen nnrl 11rrhn1,s tn lnuuch thf"il' n\\'11 n1>nPn l lll'OVldln~ il1 ls wlll br snb- 1 slrtlscrt h,· Ihe om,crnmrn t, T hr Conl cmpornr.v Art~ or A11s1rnlin. Qnrr nslnml Brl\nch , ~110- on1·1s nnv mcwr to Rchlcvr 1hr huilrtlnc nf A n<-w OnJ– lcrv nnet imnlorr~ 1 lw t ru. - tr es 10 nr l on wit h thr loll Tno 11\IICh t ime h n~ A1- 1'1':ldV hern wri~tcc1 . nn(I 1hr rrcnrci ..llnw~ thn L pa!\l r ffOrt.$ nnci f"llPl'J:\f'~ hA \'f" t,er1. lnrcrl\' dlssloAl~rl. rt 1~ hr.nrL£111!rn? lo lrnrn IhAL Sir Leon T.-0111 hn .s rrt urncct rrom ovrr~r.n.., de– t.crmlncd to ~Lrlve for I\ tH'!W anllerv.