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

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 The l.lnrullled A:lr. IVienel.e By JOHN BRAGG For a man in the centre of an art world controversy, Mr. James Wieneke is not only unbowed but unbloodied. -•mlllngly, Is as go0<1 at drawing and 11nmttng as T · Q , I t most other six-year-old•. \\o ueu1sl11nd Art (,nllt,r,1· trusters as He developed his o~·n intfre. t In ar while at Week resigned 01·er hlN a1111nlnlment as the Nudgee College, tho11gh he can't rceall any members gallery',; director (subject to State (io,·ernmenl of 1 ~! ~;'.;~ 11Ko 1 ;,•.~:~f .~ 11 ~ 1'· 1 :r:~~ r~:; t other sub• n1111ro1·al next ll'eck) 11n1I other 11rt ex11erts h111·e /•cl. a nct no worse: t,111 his kecnnes.s . gre11· 011 •aid he shouldn't get the juh. 1011 '/.in,:·\ 0 ~t ~;:~Itott~ J~~s"bi, 8 1~:):Ti;~ or ;~\\'i~lln\; 11 t But It's hard to find anybody who doesn't took tu, first Sl f'II towa rcls his nrw cn r.'er wllrn LIKE him! he started studvlng art nt Brisbane Tef'i1111cnl Co - One of thr gallery's trustees, who ls on his tr~c at :w. 111ulcr the lnL~ Mn1·t~•n Rohens. Aftrr gldc. sntd yrstcrday : "1-fc's n Qucrnslnnder, _an thrcr ycnrs. hC' ,,·enl bnl'k to tlu• \Vesl. RrtlsL, an expert nt cslorug µictures nnd at ,·atu111g MontlHi later, he returned w!th a ba tch of them, good at handling stnl!, honrst and tolerant. drawings or aboriginal, and drol'rrs and other with the greatest knowledge of art In all lts forms Western chnractrt·s. llOSSessed b1• onybod\' In the Stnte." "Poor as the)' might hal'r b,•en. thr,1· ll'ere But thrn an artist who opposes his appoint- honest at tempts to Interpret Quren.slnnd life." he "I ~ 1 w orgnnlse lll!'Af!lf •nd conform to the prlnc1plcs of l>w;111rss, wl11ch meant accounting nnd cOJTPSPOIHlence and all t-he things buslne,.. men nrr 1us:ht up In," 1nent. arguln~ that Mr. Wieneke Is a trndlt1011al- snys tii;t with nn Llmr for <'Ontrrnpornry work. also They became his fl rsl ar1 ,;;a irs y,·h..:-n he sold pnys him t,hls tribute: " He's a · strnlghtrorwnrct them to the olri Queonsln nder magazine. lie ,yed It. "You make counue,.s Criends 111 R bw-iness llkP Ihis, and have cllen.t.5 who rclv on yot11· nct\' k r . Mnny more µconle here now ccille1·1 pwt11rcs. and It ·s .JI most Interesting, Cull ol hard work . humour. paLnos, and much satisracUon." bloke and ns honest as the dR\' Is long." Full tl 1e And ,111othcr 0111ionent, after comnlainln~ that - II career ~r.~r~~e~':.~aTi~~1'7o~·•ih~o:1~~t~t;•~7tn~c l~t~t~t ~~1 It wasn't a good lime l.o make ort a Culi-111ne As well RS running I.he galleries. he I• In wide ,trnrnncl as n fudge - !or the Redcllffe Art Pri,.e. the Dli1·Id .Jones Art Prit.e, The Sunday Mnil Children 's Art Competition, the Royal Na tional art com11ellt lons, - and also for ar1, ~nllery, adds : "But he's as nice a man as 1 1 ou'Jl care;~~- WlenrkP. undertook an.,·thln,: that C'Allrd meet anywhere." for ..,me ability tn paint nr draw. He did •ome Mr, Wlrneke htm.. 11 .. em • unruffled hy all mura l drroratlon,, and ho painted slRns. the fu115, "Where public position• are concerned I In \O.'Rr-tlme he becnme an engineers· sergrnnt. :~~""/';;a[ 0 fhe~~re h!~e e~c:r: :~!.~.re~! ~!~~on 1 dl;: ~~:w/~g Ns~:n~ume~,j~ft~~ha"~u~~og~, hisa~i:re ,\\ 1 ::~ Show anythJnd shows in country cenl rra. fldently. Japanese ca ptives on old enveiol)e.s anct other I!, He Is 59, lean anct trim, lookln~ younger than 11eraps or paper, which he regarded as a record or He claims t,hat he has tried. whenever possible, hls vears. with lnuchter lines on hls ·race. those days. to show a cross scctlon or Australian artists· work. He Is director or the Moreton Galleries, and Arter the i,.·ar. these were published In book nnd, at present, has a •how by the Sydney con• even his present critics concede that since he form under the title "Slx1h Division Sketches." tempornry artist. Maxim! Ian Feue1·rtng, took them o\'er, he has Increased not only their It was his first big elfort. and when he re- He says he Is Interested In showing anythlnll' cllentele but also thelr prcstl~e. turned to Brisbane alter planning the book's publl• from the convict painters up to contemporary ar- M II b bb cation In Sydney, he rec-alved his CIJ•st commls- lists, Judging the paintings only on whethrr y fe, Jo ' ho y ~l 0 itJo~~p 1 ~'!~ 11 b1:m~~-r~o~~~ 0 \~Wi~~:~.r th e dome t~:r. i~evri,dm~n~-~f.~e Lfn ~hc·~~~-:o~rl whe th er He was born In Bundabcrg, bm spent most or Art was now very much n Cull-time career. As He Is an enthusiast for art, "'hich h• thinks his childhood In the West, where his !nmllv were well as painting picLures. he tvRS t'eachlng on the ls heading for an excltln~ time In Queen,land, well-known snddle-makers and he talks abou't the history of Art and drawing at the Technical College nbr,,g'!.errorpnarrtts gnall 0 elr 1 1res 1 . 11 ,11e• 6 h_Ich he Lhintu, should play West with the same warmth he talks about art. and \\Tltlng art reviews for a new.,paper. 0 1, In ~.~~;·~:.~ 1 1~e.,r~~~~T~t~r;,xvery ... 1r:· 1 • 1 YJ::; I~. ~"'1~ 9 ~~/~~11 ~.~r,:;~ ~im~ 1 epa~~'IT~~~n ro9a~ri::i·. unt~;J~ 10 b,if1°:i.~re, 11:~ 0 Y!~~"; =~~u~~:fi\~nt af! fae:J.~::e, 111 :~:•1: 1 :.;dlrf~~ ;~•},;1,~u.:~n~; h!~~:.~• oCC~~~~~llln'!!!rviJ'~ng:llll~~n~~ dm~~~~f rrom vlSlt .. .g~~~• •~a~: :ri,;, be made attractive He has one one chlld, Catherine, 8, who, he llllYI the happy, carefree Ille of a palntrr," he ways. enough to prompt people to take tne Mep," 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 SUNDAY MAIL, June 4, 1967 lrfllNne, 0. lj.J!JN 1.9 1 lnquir into Gallery urged QuC!cntland University Philosophy Professor CProfessor Presley I said lost nl9ht there should ha en inquiry into tha 1leeship ol lhe Queens• ,and Art Gollc,y. lie said It h"ct bern n 11noured thnt Lhr nrt g111lel'y intended 10 sell some · ,·ery ,·nhrnblc pninLln~s Ill rnlse money for bnllcl ln~s. Onr such 1>olntlng, he ~ :1.id, was R P!casim n11ticc1 nt nround St/i0,000, l'rlt~!tfr th~~i•\~;·lnt~ 1 ~ ,, rre snhl. pr.n1>lr. wou~fl 1101 gll'e paintings lo lh• •lier,1· a nln. ow upse Jle knew that the widow or philanthropist Major Harold Rubin was upset at the prospect that tg~ 11 i,1n°i~r t~~~-e ~1:;t~l~f~ lery might be sold. Professor P1·esley said he thought nn i111·esllga– tlon Into the adm inis– tration or the gallery sho11lct be CRITled out. Sir Leon Trout said last nl1tht that the statements by Prores.sor Preslev were lrrespons,ible t lttle-tattle. unrellable and Quite untrue. '"rhe Trustees nre getting tired or Irresponsible tittle-tattle.'' Sir Leon Mid Have rights ~Under thr Art Galler!•• Ar.t n·e ha,·r certnln re•ponslhlllllr, and we will dlschari:e thrm. We havr 1hr right to dl•pose of an,· 1,alnlln1t In our possession. ~IC and 11·nen we hal'e to make our decision. t,he trustees a rc 11uite con. ftdent or making It with– out the ndvlre nf Pl'O· ft"{f?! fi~e.sle{eg~d Tr~~\i said. He added thnl while the trustees arc hnndlln~ public funds they Intend to run the ga llery In a business like way. lrfllNne, Q. 4JUN 1967 Gentle,nen only . .. Two learllni: mr.mher111 nt the community la•I WH.k delivered them– ••h•e• or lnter••llng and revealing •latements: Bh William Yeo, N S.W president of the R.S.L. ex ~:.8J"~nu~1::!'e~ i~~ ~-~ ber1- \\'hr• RrP mf"mhPr~ nl a pacifist or~anlsatlon op– posed to Australian In • vol vement In VIPtnRm "Thev have been founrt gulltv of •ctlvlttPs suh– ver5h1e to the, lntrrestR nl the R.S I. and cnnduct unhP.comlne nf ctmtlP.men." Sir Lf>011 T'ro111 r-h»lrmRn nl Qurensla nrl Art Ga lien, trustees surmorttne thP annntntmrnt of II ne"' ~J.;.~;tg;riiirire. [,~e,,~:ll~r,;'~ or thr hl~he•t mnrAt C"hA rort.r.r "