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

'l'M NO MAD MOD,' SAYS By JEAN SINCLAIR "People see me as a mad modernist," soid Laurie Thomas. "I see myself as sympathetic to what artists are doing." Hi, fa•orite field of art, he • aid, out • ide the con– temporary 1cene, wa1 the mediae•al period. Mr. Th-•• 11 oeen above with wake up, we soon mny find thnt an "old friend" In u,~ Queen•• all the best AUBtrallan paintings land National Gallery entrance. are In the United SIRies." We were talking about his reslg• It was the art collector's Job. nation as Director or the gallery he said, to be "out In front with after five and a half years. the artist." He Is walking out In an atmos- "He needs enough Imagination to phere of mill-pond calm-com- know where artists are going and pared with the storm of contro- to try as hard as he can to pass versy over a proposed new art the message along the line," he gallery that led to the resignation said. "He must help the public of hla predeces.sor, Robert Haines. understand this and trv to creat~ Laurie Thomas admits that some true sympnthv for artists Instead storms blew ur>-and blew over- or antngonlsing the public." during his own term or office. JQ I NT HEADS ;, n~:~t~ ~rL ~i/i{JsJ~~:jr:;:; ' ~~~n!:o~J::,Y.l'lfea~1N.urely con- -~ftd trustees. he said, needed "I simply want to get back to ~~~r:r:i.::1:r ~,;'t~:~~tn hit;> j~~~~ writing," ment. Winner of one of the first two For I-his reason he believed I.hat Oowrte Scholarships for World the onller·v could benefit from the Nar II ex-servicemen, Melbourne- appointment of Joint directors- born Laurie Thomas nlwnys hns one's Job simply would be to ndd been tom between two careers- lo the gallery collect.Ion, the other pa~~lnffvea~~a~r\!!'/[re coming lo ~•,~•a~rs. tend to admlnlstrnl ive Queensland as gallery director he He suggested too, that the Min- wrote features, lenders. nnd then! re Isler and trustees should have and art reviews for a Sydney dnlly another look at the Art Onllery newspaper Act and recognise the very clif- u· Is qulie n chnrnctcr we will be ferent J"Oles or the trustees and losing when he goes nl the encl of t.he Director. March. "The best nrt collections in the pe~~tf~t }~r 8 bg:,lfc~~ 1. r;~YSn~~~;u111~ ~?i~i' m~~ ~nl~,n~t~l'~o~ 1 ,~u\\:r~ conversntlon freely wilh the Aus- In Q11eenslnnd he believed, the trnllan Idiom nncl sounds none- Irustces shoulc1 become more nnd theles.s erudite more conl'erned with fin ance ns In In five years; he reels, n rl lrrclor gnllerlcs In Amcrlrn nnd Europe. hns mude his contribution nud · The clh·cctor. bv his q11nl1 flca- ~:~nfo:'in~";;~rf1~~~n~\i 1 ~n 1 i1~~? to :;;~,r;,s :i:~!c 'ii~\';i'~ 1 g"~110111'; ''\-r\~ 1 1~ His own contribution In Queens- most in 1he collec tion of wo,ks. lnnd, he feels, wns to correct. nn "Too oft.en t.lic relntloushJp Is 1tohnlnncc In t.111! colk cI ion. ~~ficl~/~1~l,c~nl~ri~ll~;~f.~ 1CtJ~ri\\·'i 1 f,~~ "When I cnmc here !here wn.s director,'· he snlcl. ~~lfcct~~~- •Ji;_;"U,1int1~/iF t/1 1 ~~i One thing Lhnt mus). ~o In hns n much rnorr bnlnnccd n•prc- Qur Pnslnn<I, he snl<l. our methods scnt ntlou," he snld . of lcnchl11g nrt,. It wns the nrt lsl w!10 Is p,dnt - "Tcnchl111, of nrt here nnd rlsr- lng todnv who sho11tcl be the par- where Is completcl v 0111 of dnlc," Uculnr Concern or n cn llcry dir- he snhl. cclor he snlcl. s1111lln teachers. wll h t.11rir "Unlr>~~ llHlSf' r·ln!-Rt ... or dr.,,, \Jui frnm pl;11·1rr b 1 .:1" 111!1•• l;H1 €.. t•I ).l. , J !.! LAURIE THOMAS little water color·s,'' should vanish, he said, along with the persistent hang-over of Victorian attltudea to art. "We should ooncentrate on mnk. Ing artists-not Just drawers and figure painters They should be people concerned with design, shape, SJ'.)llCe and lmaglnntion to give proper expression to thts mad, wonderful world," he said. Any new l\rt school attached to the gallery should be under the control of the trustees, not the De– partment of Education, he said, Its function should be changed com– pletely to the study of I.he runda• mentn.l design or things. "This ls not to say 1.hat whnt la J>as, Is bad,'' he snid, "The present Is built on the pnst, but sometimes built more rapidly than people can follow: but you don 't cross out Shnke– speal'e slmplv becnusc Dylan Thomas hns anlvect--0r scratch out RembrnndL because of Picasso." Quttnsland hnd a gnlleri• to be proud of, l\lr. Thomns said. "It's small, bu t it's 1wod. nnd It hns a high reputation among nrt- 1s1s nlJ over Aui-it.rnlia," he snlcJ. I ts co111bli111l,/uu uf ilill111n1<: lmys ,Ulci long vlst.ns pro\'ldcd an ldenJ seuinl!. Dut. t.hc, -e wns room for onlr 80 pnin l,lnRs of 1hc ga lle1-y's col lcc- 11011 or nearly 1000 ... 1111d J11t1e room for nnv of I.he sculpture, f11rn lt.ure, g!11S."i a.ml silver. He sn1d sill's for a new bY'flllcry ' int n))JlCtllNI lo him inclucied t,he •Id n.omn SIrect irnrkels site ,suggested in t.he Bligh plnn,, opposite St. Ancll-ew's Hospilul on 1lie nrcn now occupied ily 1.hc City c on11r.ll Elect.riclty Control Depot, or o/>)10,Sitc t,hr City Hnll ns JY.lrt or t 1e new K Ing Ocoq;c Squn.re plnn. Mr. ThomM hns Lhe IU'l,ist's dis– cln in for )>06R(\';.Slons .. , urrl\'Cd here \\'llh n C:tll\'RS grlp n.nd n. couple of <"hnnires of t111cfrr\\'('!1r, nncl f " ll;lll hn lr :wlng \\ ,lil :,,11 ll'tl, ll 1tH1:·r .. ll(' \ ,cl. Brl1bine, Q. l j;.',1, d(i/. If on !v the pcoplci w~···clrct 10 rnu va n Olh govcr11- 11H:111.s wuulcl sec t,!11:;: Thnl money spent tn cncourn~c the nrts. ro hrl p them ex– pand in their C'OTTHllUllity rn1l11encc. ,~ not money ,,·ust!'Cl on the \\'him,c.; of ;1 111 lnon1,y, A t lenst smnc of it ls. or c•ould be lnsurnncc nua mst I he clangers or lll:tfi~ IJ(ll'l'cfO!ll. Anr! rct tho Slntc Go\'crn- 111r111 i:-: noL on lv not in– LNr!-tecl !JI "l'ulfure". It M'1'111:-. n t I lmr~ to be n• 1 n 0!,· oppoi,,rd. Crrtnln– l\ 11 Pil l~ It at the bot- 10 111 11I l}lC li!!t \\'lirn t l1r' (~ucc11sln 11d Art l ,:d!t 1 1\ s rr1 irlnhirrctor 1 :\TI':'-: Ln11rl(, 'I homns • w,t•d ;1 l.irrwrll !,;pCeC'h 10 t.!\.r ii na rt111u sw ipe nl the Ci ,1, r1 t1111C'n1 ·s attitude to nrt. 11,! :.11 1cl t11ts Slntc \ \ 1 ,111c1 hn ,·u to c,•1 n1m·ln~ In 1li!s f1cld unh•!-~ we ',\ :-till tr, 110,•r n rn1·e of c•lo!!' 1 l ir ',11:-.l)ll'IOll Is ! !1.d \\ C ll lrr:1rl\' ( illdlh't or !-Ut'h c!11.d:-..