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

" JUN196/ Sydney, N.S.W. 5140,000 Picasso stolen "AGE" Melbourne, Vic. ~. I ,. I ' ,. 10s-, 1 I . ., ., Picasso the£t: lover theory BRISBANE. - Police believe lhe recent controversy over rnmored plans of Queensland Art Gallery lruslees to sell paintings, could have led lo the theft of the $200,000 Picasso - La Belle Hollandaise - early yesterday morning. They nre tnrest 1gat111g 1111,; a Du tch hal - lllCH!'illres art BRISBANE, Tuesday. _,. A Picasso painting wortlt $140,000 was stolen from tlte Queensland Art Gal– theoncs tlrnl Rl'L studenL'i 30, 1 111chcs b,r :!ti 1 :· lllt'IH"S. could hare on:;nnl~d rhe T lw thrfl \\'rts c11st·orC'rrrt robbery Lo focus n1t.r 11t1nn b.,, a i,:allery employe nt 7.5!", 011 the issw?. or tlrnt R fann- n.m. u cal fl rt lover could ha,·c 111~ td1·.~,.t <·h1 !~ 1,,10_.:,'.,',',r tLoh',',1\'"Ai,',.,' : takr11 1he 11,un1111g to pre• "' ., ,-, .... \'f!n l IL" snlc. 1rn llan Rtntcs nnri to o,·r r- Thr chnlrmnn or the 1,:111- sr n,;; pnlic-c. Jrry truslce!\ 1S1r Lron !\•1aIn c•n11c•rn1 nf lltr u:, I- Tr011 t.1 ht~l lllf?hl ricnlr d ns :f,r,t n~l: 1 \l 1 ~7 11~ 0llll 1\\\ 1 t!l:7 Ill~~ ~~~~pl~_ 1 1~!Y ~~u~:-~ tl?il,~\\ 1 ~ 1 ;J irt'Pllll r:1bl\· rtru11agrd. lery overnight. The palntin1. La Rolle deplc11 Is unders1110J the p11intin1 w•• insured by tho gallery for $1411.000. The Picusso work was lhe only item 1tolen. A ...... te • ni al ~tt• d,.. •• nilllle4 to Ille pllery whe • Ille tlleft wu .ii..,oHrd b1 pllHJ at• er1141••• Doaald 1·om11aaoa early thi,, morn••• Tomlln,on tulJ police he noticed the empty frame near where the p11intin1 i• norm11lly hung. l Sr!lllng pnlnt ln1,:s from 1hc AC"liln: c11rr>r tnr or 1111" l!:d - nuhlt1 collec1ion. lrrv 1l\tr. n pl):,·11 H 11l 1 ~:11rf Ln Rrlle Hollnndnisc wn~ 1~~, nn::ht : "l t 1._ r -.: rrrm""l,v the most vnl11nblc pnl11t i11i::, fm clle :i nc1 C"t1lr1 hr dnm• in a collrctio11 cto11nl.cd to ~ 1~~:, 111' 1 1;.~ 1 "f7 i~n 1 ;t~ 1 /;~t 1 ~t"; th e Rl'l gHllery in l\fny, to 5 o. r,..mhhuttinn nf hlur f'linlk. ~~1~1'~nl\'i\1'n~·lnjor Harold de rr11•·che '" type or wnt.rr Jl was Insu red for C'"l,..r\ nnrl oil which \\'"Hid S140 000. but lt-; murket \'Blue sn,"" r :111ct r.rumhle f'n~ih•. Is about S200.000 "It . was ll1• most ''" lu:ihl• ,11 • patnt,lng-thnt of n '"'... ,.,t....... 111 th,. <!flllrP·\~ n11rt woman wear- 1 thf) 0111\• ma fnr r 1,•n;.:~o Melboume, -· The stolc11 Picasso pal11ti11y. p a \1111111-: sdrierl. I.a Rrlle Hollandnlsc wns JlilllllCd Ill 1005, Ent rv t,o the building w1cs nrncl,! fhrouu:h n window :m. rt. nbOl'C the J;l'OU!ld. Sca r– rntcti11g had been Ct'CCLCd at the rro11L or the gn llcry tor the rcmol'al or a portico. A window leading t.o a flight or stulrs up to the 1111\m i::,nllcr~· was forced. ' . . ) • I .,,. u 'l •,., Oalleryofflcials arcwor- NO CLUES YET ON ried that the painting may. h • ve been damageJ when ~Belle's ✓,1 }:,. removal }~.;:~ removeJ from th0 MISSING PICASSO La Belle HollanJai,o I w111 purch,mJ in tonJnn BRISBANE, - Detecti¥el today ltlll had in 1959 hy the gallory for no lead, on the theft of Pica110'1 palntln11 "La about $JJK,OIHl. Belle Holl1nd1i11," worth about $200,000. It wa • port of the lilte Mr H. Do Vuhl Rubin•• colleclion In Bri•bane. The prl~• paid ,... be– lle••d to be • worl,i rtt• ord for • Pk-. Tho 1hert c, mo al the heigh! of tho cnnlroversy ·over the uppoinlmcnt ol Mr Jame, Wienek~ •• 1he new sall~r)' Jil'.:ctor. ·' Perth, W.A. · "We are Investigating all :Slo ~tts.gf ~sk c~:d.n tt~ thief or thieves." CIB Chief Insp. W. Raetz said. "But 80 far we have no strong clues." he said. The valuable painting was taken from the Queemland Art Gallery In the Brisbane museum building between 5.30 p.m. on Monday and early yesterday morning. 7JUN 1967 Brisbane, Q. M·vs·r1i·v······c1·rr:;······,, HAVE PICASSO' BRISBANE. Today: A mystery telephone callel' has told a Brisbane newspaper: "I have the Picas– so. It's all right." The call (late yesterday l Is one of the !ew new clues detectives have on the theft of the Picasso painting, La Belle Hollnndnlsu. from the Queens• land Art Gallery overnight on Monday. CIB Chief Inspector W. Ruetz has assigned six top detectives to the case. A complete description of the painting- worth about $200.000 on present values- has been s,•nt to police throughout Au~tralla and to Interpol (Inter• national pollce J• The art treasure was taken from the gallery In the Brisbane Museum bullrllng between 5.30 p.m. on Monday and early yesterday. The Picasso was the only Item stolen. views on Gallery HERE~ITH fu rther view!! on the Queensland Art Gnll<'ry controversy: • 'What hope ?' • • • I must Applaud (' F. Pre,ley•• ma., tcrh• lette'; IC.·l\f.• 2-6-671 . . As he slat es. no possible blame can be nllachcd 1.0 Mr. Wieneke: "The hl ult ;r there Is one. lies with i hr. Trustees." How many limes: Jn how nrnny .~phcrcs. hn\'c decisions, ostcnslblv m •de ror the public. b·un I tic results. not or cnrcrut ,1c– llbcrn tlon nnd ratlminll.snt- 1011. but. or Internal political pressures ? If. a.,r;; the current furore would appear 10 SUR• gcst. this ,~ now Lo lm•nd~ the art \\·arid \\'hlch b)' 11.s very being must be free by whn t possible means ·can we hOpe to achieve an art gnll~ry worthy of the name? -Jenifer Muir Smith, 217 Latrobe Terrace. Paddln1• Ion. • 'Hopeful' . . . I •uppose Mr. Laurie Thomu would cl••• me • • one or the "tormers and clob1." Several tlm~s over the lest four yca1·s or ~o. T have entered I he doors or the An Gallery hopefully-nnct left shortly, declaring tt,at I had no desire ever to go there again. How different hn~ my ronct.lon been after visit s to the Moreton Gal– ler.v. I am not an artist. ~g~u~ 0 M: ~ri~:~ins"~ th ~f Wieneke personally. or wh11t hns been behind this nrt µnllcr~.i "uphce.\·nl", but I nm excllr.dl )• hopeful ot n clrn n~r for the bett'er In• strtr. our own State Art Ga llrry.- 1Mn.J Marrery/ Chlld•. Wamuran. / AS a lover o! palnt- ·~particularly L& Belle andalae, it WU with t dl11111ay that I learned of her removal from the National Gallery by pereon or penona un– known. Dlaregardln1 al.I publicity and controversy over control ~{ tr. gt~ ~e.ry &, I_:>Ul!J~t WU )'.l()allble for a thief 80 :~!~ ~c~n~erv.\~!bfeal~~~ lectlon Is housed. Surely 11eaftoldlng erected within access or an unbarred win– dow Is stupid to say the lea,t. Queemlanders can con– sider themselvM fortuna te rn:t it~b1~ th ~11rclrc;,\ng!e 1 r~ not stolen also. - 1Mrs.) :~:~ ci:~ 1•:,~. 19 Jolly • 'Qualified' , .. Mr, 'flew, on a •ultable Arl Gallery Director are amu– aln1 lo .. l' the l.. •t. Do we require someone \\•ho can do a., well as talk. or do we require a well– educated degree-holder who cannot even hold a brush or pen? Mr. Wieneke hM been very cap&bly prescm– lng to the public the works or Au.,trallan a1tlst~. His Jong experience makes him A highly qualltled and CR • Able person.-lMrs.J EarlM. 59 Bellevue Aven , Gaylhorne. From ... J lJ •flt~D" Melbourne, NO ACTION ON NUDE ' PAINTING I Chief of thP vice squad, Det. s,t. J. Whitehead, said today he did not Intend to lake a ny action over a modern palntlnr of a nude woman In the National Gallery exhi– bition. "Two decades of American p11lnt1nr." Vice s~und dctecllvcs i'l.sltrd the exhibition to'. dn.1·. Thr tr ,·1.,;1 followed com– J>inlnt s nhout the painting. Onr ,·1sl!ot· dcsCl'tbed the pnlntlnR as "dlsµusl.l ng." r wo cldc1·ly women walked out of lhc cxhlbll,lon be– cnusc thcv sntd t'.ic Pnlnt- 111~ orrcnilcd them. llrt. ~~t. \\'hitchcad 8nld poller hnd not rccct1•cd any olliclnl complnlnl~.