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

lrislNne, Q. - , r , i' 1967 , }·'' , Art · Gallery row .,.;..darMoll MAY 7 , 1967 - still gathers h9at Wr.ck ·1 ng of JHE controversy over the od!'1inistrotion of the _Queensland Art Gallery continues to gather heat 1n letters to the Editor. • Pnint s 111:aolP I" · rnrres- IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII tl :l' 11n,.,tlc hackwalers from Id bu ·11d·1n e . • p1111d 111 8 ind11d~· :~'i~~tLt1•,,~g f~~~·~£:;r?:~l . • Trustees same . GovennnenL wh ich . . . I ro·ad \\Ith 1111 h•-s ~-g~ \~e ;;\~~tg~V 11 f116~,~~; lhan horror lh:tt Sir Lt•ou r. 1id bne~ him in his In• ,, Trout, 11:,. t'lrnlrman of tlw \·n lunble work In furtherlnB ' ' I Hoard of 'l'r11s1et•i,;, aud 1he 1;ausc of art will not. - e n On the other lru, 11•1:, as his 11111111111111111111111111111111111111 now reverse lt.s [>ollcy 011d ! 1 A young Brisbane architect and contemporary artist who has token up the fight for Brisbane', historic bU:ildings urges the formation of a fine arts council to help balance the struggle between "progress and his– tory." He 11 John Daltan, a Queensland ~ an old • elller'I Chapter Cauncll member of the Rayal Au•- house on lb• E•k Road tralian Institute of Architect,, and an ex- ;;,.;~~~in~;:!d 1 ~~1~,\: ecutlve member of the Queensland Art roor, veranda, on Gallery Saclety and of the Cantemparary Art •~~"'e':"arP other lhlnRs Saciety, 111 Rddltlon to buildings In Mr, Dalton rave the&e -::-one or only lwo aet • Mr. Dalton·s preservation lnatance6 of bulldln11 ctamo• In Brl1bane, to my know• bcaum 11 1p 1 a 11 1gg,n 8 11 d- e,,eP 1 R 1 rtstree,, 0_ f ' lltlon which, he aald, waa ledge: ·they have been di .. some cues "quite wan- cnnclemned by the Brl•• "The Queensland Art ": bane City Council as a Gallery portico Is to be Demollahed In the Ia.,t health risk, and are to demolished, and an alum- two years: be demolished." lnlum awnln~ to be put • "Eitonehen11e" (1880) , In But, &bove all, Mr. up," he said. 'It was quite Lelchhardt Street. Dalton 18 concerned with unnecessary to do this. An • The Sher!Ws Cott88'! the need for lrnm~dlate arched metal grille could (1888), at the Supreme action to save Lhe Bank of have kepL the bricks In Court. New south Wales 0885>, place and maintained the •Th' Criminal Investtga- @POalte the G.P.O,. In characler of the bulld- tlon Branch, ronnerly the Queen street Ing. Anglican pro-cathedral, ''The bulldlnR, or at "Take, the Postmoster In Geor11e Street least the facade could be General• Department - • The 100-year-olil store demolished and then they restored Lhe PosL In Short St.reeti City, stored ir funds are not office building a few years part of which fel on tlie lmmedtatelv · 'available. ago and replaced the clemollshln11 bulldozer. until It can be re-erected." fretted-away stonework. Doomed? h~4i~~d.Domaln, beside old Enlightened A e tl doomed •In Oovemment House, would "This Is the sort of en- the PJ::r 1}~ure: be an Ideal site and would lightened consciousness we Pu,ln' • Chapel (o. be within e1111y walkl!/11 dla- expect from public bodies 1981) nest &o 8&. 8te• tance from the city, and banks." phen' • Oatbednl In Mr. Dalton aald 11roupa The hl • &orlo lree 1 Mr. Ellubetb Street - uu la like ,the Queensland Dalton b moot con– la I u&e of dllapltla&lon, Women a Historical Asso- cerned with are &he ex– and It i. -t likely &ba& elation and the National panolve Moreton Bay I& coald be &ho next to Trust were lrylng to do flio on &he corner or 10... 1 somethln11 about the sltua- Eule and Creek 81reel•. The lenace ho- lion, and were doln11 the "They're IIO years old IIIOI · la Petrie Ternee best .lob thev could. and mark lh• atart or But Ibey are hampered the old bull0\!11 trail.'' ho by lacll or finance and explained. rovemmontal 1uppar&," "These trees could wel he said. be marked wllh a plaque "We can't offord to leave for example. as a mem ~lv~u~f.':'e~~~\f~':e ih~/~i; orlal t.o our early settlers destroyed and as citizens we have to .lealously 11uard these bulldln11s because they can't be renlaced : there are not the crafts• men to work the stone. "We don't realise how valuable these thln11s are." A fine l\rta counctl such as he advocates, Mr. Dalton sold, would ensure activity at an effective level - the governmenLnl. ' The other maJor step Mr. Dalton su11gests ls the formation or a folk museum, arter the South Australian style - "an area set aside ror Jndlfienom bulldlngs, farm :w.::.n:ru~f. 8 Nro~f1e?lr~~ an area like that would be ideal." an~~ ~"'::~ ti:'~ 1 ~ 1 ;~e~: nr • uch a mu11eum he .su1111ort,•r!-i, ha\'e thr IJOwer, n ppotnt a mnn o df'slruy and lnlnul ln dls1m:,.c uf. t lie pn•sf'11l Gullcrv IS most IIll~ ,,ro_~l'i!~S. _ Hobert :::·11 1 :.~r:~-~~~~kl:, .~t!,·:~j~~r,,~:.\': ~;1'1;·~~:. 1\\'b,\~cr~'t•n~t~~l1 ot1t:~ Mlt,•hrll, :iQl Zlllmere lload, uwn dist·rt·liun. r·ollce11011. Lt·t us hope tlmt Zlllnll!rt.-, 1 tJnnK any person a.l nil l his ri1scuss1011 will as...1:-l conc:crncd will rr:1li~c t Ii...• 111 Qucc11slund oblolnmg in Jmphca1 ion.-.. 111 lln\'lllg 111 Ihe ncnr future a new \;ill- SllCh complete control 01 lt-n · where HI lenst iLs our Gallery. 111l•1·1 who cun nHljnr paintings cun be on onlv udm iL thnt tllr1r under- o l!-plny. - 11.arl)'I F.IHle standing of nn mU,'-l bt: 1,s Tooth. Eldernell Avenue, llmlted ns 1.he1r trn1nmg 11:unilton. • 'Names please' • Chance lost? . • . 'l'he bush1e?Ss or a Stale Gallrt)' Is. surely. tu rduc.,tr lb<: uninformed, not lo relnrorce their com- r~r:eUffm11~1~ 'rh:h°nf:~~~= S ir L on Trout nw clc It qu11.e clear In hi~ stat ement 1~1111 - clnv ).1ail. 4-6-ti1 • tha t 1l 1."i Il ls ctec1slon . \\ llh the sup– port of Ins fellow I l'USl CPS, llnd not the ctlscreuon of .tl!e dlreclnr wlloev,'r lw 1111~ lit be.-~lc~vyn Murlurt)', 2t Eyre St reet Ml Gnl\'all. ance, The Gallery should lead puhllc toste not la1 alunir behind It, , . . I wish to endurst' Pntrun 11 se ond production whoh• - hearh•dh· ,J. 11 r serious nrt have always • Paintings lent ... As one who has been Jnlereslctl In arl and the l!Uecnsland Art Gallery C'uu1u·1•'s s11tii:e!ill1111 U '.. \J. been in t'te hands of the l-ll-117) that the Art (;al- informed nnd cultlvaLed few, ler~··:i noarrl or 'J'ru~tee11 he Rlld the ind1cat,Jons are thn't, rcr1ulr-.d to make publlc in BrL~bane. :1 chance to Im- the nanu'" of unsurceaHful pro\'t! the education of the •11pllcants aud their re- public has been nussed.- c•orrt, In comparison with liryan Bank•, 31 Harwood ~~f;n,ko~r th~lr. Dl;!~r.:~~ Street, Newmarket. l\•lr. \Vien~ke's "unani- for many yr.ars, I would like lo c:ummrnd the Go\'– ernment and the Trustees of the Clallrn· In their pulley or lending paint– ings to 00\:ernment Uouse. designate. I mous" a1ipolntment wlU mo.st n 1rcly return QU-C:P.~sland to The r11ct thn1 His Excel· lcncy ls th2 direct represen– tative or Her MnJesty the Queen, and Is the patrnn ol the Gallery, Ii.is been en– I11".:'IY O\'t:rlook1•d S11relv an y ~~f ~~c1i~1u i;,~cs.~i~ll'IH ~1~~~Lj~-~ rcpn•senta l ive should b~ wrlcom·ed. 11 hos also 1101 ucen mode clear t!l:ll these palntmgs can Uc rce:llkcl on 24 11ours· uotlce. nnct rhi:-. courtesy has be2n extended to our prevH ous Go\'r rnors over a pcrlorl or 15 vears. The paintings nre being seen by hundreds or people within the Stat.c ,, nnd from o\'ersc:1s, and arc •t?· far safer al Gorcrnmcn t Yi House I hn 11 bei ng rclcg11te,1 ', , l– to the cella rs of the Gn llery. I; : Some year:'.) ngo my lHts- ,t bnnd wa·s rcqucstcc1 by Lh'e Lhen Director to give a very r•ltiablc Stree1on to the G allery. JI, H-i now recog– niseci ns one r tile urn.tor ll'Orks of Lhe unllcry, AJ. though we rlsll d Lhe Onl· lerv on mnny occns1ons we 11cvcr sow It dlsplnyed once, nnct when we rc- qttcstecl the Director to sl1ow It to u.s he refused, sla ting that it was In he cellar, nncl could not be broug ht out. r cnn assure ~·011 that we \\'1111ld bot h have prl'fcrrcd this pa in tin g t<• hnve IJecn lt1mg on Lhe walls of Oo\'– crn111cnt House than to be r(•!egrttecl to llw l'ellnrs of ihe Gallery, anrl t reel ccr– tnln that mnnv otlw r donors or pntnUngs ,,·1ll agree with me. It Is unfortunate - . vt)lC will not JI Vt.:: I\IIC IIC \. ...... .... ,u ... ..... .. ., .. - ,, Decisions on Gallery 811ggeslions frnm normn lly rrapon e peop o thnl the lr11sl.ecs might be contemplnt:lng the sale of some of the Gnllcr~··s mnst vnl11nhle· pninl inga tn provide money fnr hnildi ngs mus t m use nrt Jm·crs concern. These s11ggrstinns hn\'e bern brnnrled ns "lrrespnnsihle tiltic tntllr " by th~ chnirmnn of t rustees (Sir Lenn T rout ). nnd it is to be hoperl t.hn t the~· nrr nn more Ihnn lhnt. Q {TY.F.l\'SJ.A:\'D Art Onllrr,· trustrrs shoulrl hP "'Rn· nf tnkln~ anr mn,jor derisions on thr f11t11r1> of thr gnlln~· 1111111 lhti honrd of trustees Is hro111:ht 1111 to 1'1111 strrn~th. The rrl'rnt rrsignnlions of two trustees hnve I rt the bonrrl be low strc11gth nnd with1111l any rerrrsen– tnlion of th ose pro[r ssinnnll~· engngecl in nrt, Two t ru•tce• . hoth ll'ith n profrssinnnl experience In art, s hould be appointed a• ~uickly ns pnssihle. IJ11fort11nnteh · 1hr Ed11r ntinn Mini ster / !llr. Pi1.1.e,·) - hr is ' th e minister respnnsihlc ror the 11,"fl 1IC'1:_1· -- is ovN·sras nnrl is not expected hnck fnr nhnut two months, The n<'ling minister (Mr. B,ir lke– Petrrsen ) ma y wnnt to nll"alt his t·eturn rnlh cr limn mnl<e new nppnint menls of lrusters himself. Tn the mrn ntimr the prrsrnt trustees rom– prisr n grnur nf lrnrllng prnfrsslonnl mr n nnrl h11si11 css men wh o, while sinccrclr i11tere,trd in nrt nnd in thr f11t11 rr nf 11,c Gn llcry, \\'n11ld nnt ni l c lnlm tn be r x ·1crts on nrl. If. in the ~nrl, it hrrnm,•s rlrsi rnhle, nr e\'rn necessary. fnr mnjor i:nllrry works to hr sold , the decision sho11lrl he taken on!,• b~· trus tees fully represenlntlvr nf t hnsr int r rcsirrl !11 n1·t .