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

r f_ :r':Presley· view on open letter J HAVE received a letter Crom the Actlnll' Education Minister (Mr. Bjelke– Petenen) 1111yln,r that It Is not proposed to conduct an Inquiry Into the Trusteeship or the Queensland Art Gallery. Anyone who hu read --- tl r P~ accounta of Gallery~:: ~=e:?J',q~Tfh ontge . ty ·Jr•. will be utonlahed rg~ Of sendtn1 palnttn1s I In the open letter to the vernmen House. Actlna Minister tour • peel- Indeed, 1he had, ·prior to I nc points were mentioned. the Incident with Bir Leon, The flrat of these con- and In accordance with cerned the possible aale of thla pollcyi prepared the palntJ1111, and I am aure ~~f f~e::. ectlon normally that I speak tor all who None who alaned the I ri:r J!:togrl!,~r ~'::i~ open letter were •at that hM •with a little PfOD!pt time ooncernecs to queatlan • 1ri 1 ; answered the QUNtlo~ the policy of aendlnf paint. to our complete aatlafac- lnp to Oovemmen House I tlon • either. The remalnlnr three "Improper" points In the open letter• SI · th t r concerned employees of nee e reciuee or an the State Government lnqUlry, neither the .Act- The Incident that Jed to lnir Mlnlater nor any Robyn Hill'• reat,natton ::filber of 0 id~u~pa~ wu an unwltneaaed con- Interviewed Mias HIii or venation with Bir Leon asked her to submit an Trout. Her &CCOllllt ol t thl In Id t thla Incident la In outline accoun or s c en • .. foDlloln. ' '~":nn•altoiW::r:e..th~ Nsreed her emplffier hu been SI~.~ had aelected 12 =i:i~~ te/h~ r~::'. =,...... far delpatch to The fourth question that HJ 1v1 ernment Ho111e. Mias we put to the Actlnir Mln– cllaqned wi th hla later concerned the ao• Hlectlon on two aroundl potntment or a Director 0 1t. of the Oallery Ins• ;Z- ~ 0 ~~ ~!: .. !f wthe ea&inet appoint tlon JIit becauae of the .,....• teneke, they wll! be fralllllty or tta canvu. acceptln1 a recommelida- Secondly Bir Leon had tlon that wu arrived at ,elected ' paJntlncs ot ~.! a Procedure which, rr.ater tmPortance to the wiou1h lepl, wu In many collection Ulan thoee norm- respect, lmPl'Oll8r, 1 · all:, sent to 00'8mment The tint lmproprtetv - Rouae occurred when It waa an- Tbe. Nlectlon recently nounced that Mr. Wieneke retum.ed• la worth ,:iooo. wu almoet certain to be– but Sir Leon'• aelectlon 1i come Director, for this worth '34 ooo, wu dOGe not onlv before • Six ot the palntlnp to be tht. ee •-~_!llllh!'!,dabeentlon or ent to Govemment Rouse .,...,~ ... ao– were P!lri of the pe man• proved, but even befon11 tt en t Oilllery dlaplay. Ordln• had been settled by the ary lntel'3tate vlftltor 1 ex- trustees themaelvea. reo-• to see them and The second lmproprtety 1, ,J•ni. are commonly occurred when much of j ,. to the Gallery to the confidential lnforma– , , y them tlon concemlnir applicant.a • ali Is Mias Hlll'a ac- for thla POlt became ' · n" or the dlaqreement widely known. 1lcb led her to tender This eort of thlnJII' oc- • ; 1 e&1111atlon u Acttnc cuhrred 81 •nteoln yeeterday 1u1ctor. Accordln1 to MIM w 1ed r n made a 1 am, the truateea, u a re- statement about Dr. 1 suit of a meeting which Lanb irer wblcb waa..t. lll'OU 1 I 1:111' Leon wu unable to reach or conndeitce. • 1 atte!)d, asked her to with• Thirty applled draw ner re111n11tlnn. but were tater overruled bY the There were nearly so Act1n1 Mll)latet. r appllcanta for thl.i post. 'Tlils wu tbe bull or Some w.-e dlatlneullhed. l e second and third but olben were not. eatlona that WP. 1'11 to one, for example, wu •· t e ctln1 Mlnlateft' · a man with hlah qualltl- No qu••tlon cations, •ven yeara' ex– perlen~ In what la - I am told that eome time stbly the finest ~c after MIM Hill's realan•· gallery In Australia, and tlon had been finally ac- excellent referencee from cepted. Sir Leon reminded two ot tbe moet eminent l her that ahe wu atlll an pec>ple In thla field. employee, and told her th • t Despite all t.hla the If she were to make a pub- t.ruateee may be rlabt In lie statement o.n any mat• believing Mr. Wlelleke to , ter, she would be awn• ~ the beet c111dldate for marlly dl • mlased. tlle Olrectonhlp. But bhey He then stated publicly are not In a J>Olltlon to that she had refused to be sure or this', · becauae send a painting to Gov• they did not Interview BIIY cmment House, becauae of the 1111>llca-nts. •he did not agree with the I am told that there Oovemment's. and the hu been some dlacuaalon trustees' policy. \\1th Mr. Wieneke, partl- Accordlng to her, there cularlv about the need for the Moreton Gallery to be sold and about the peraon • to whom thla Gallery might moat conveniently beB~ldt am alao told that when two of the trustees propoeed th.t other candi– dates ahould be Inter• viewed, every remalnmg truetee voted agalnat ttiem. These two t.ruatees later real&lled. I submit that the only course open to the.Cabinet to have the Director• Ip re-Mlvertlaed, llld to take stepe to see tha.t all · future r.ppUcatlons are d dealt wl th t11oroqhly and 1 In confidence. l 1 ~ ~:rad~ei\1lt !ii~ 1 the appllca.tl0118 dea~t 1 with properly, Mr. Wien– . eke becomee the Director . Of the State Gallery, then · I for one will 111sh him well. - f Prore11or) c. F. =:fi ~~~":~~· J::~ , mlttee, ,,, ,. ,. ' ( i' Jr,,;,.,•~••:.,•c:, • oe.,Oc:,He.,Oc:,H:.,Oc:,H:.,oc:, • o!,!0'-'0~ • 0,., • !.!_ •~•• !,.!0C!_ • 0!,_!0!.!_ • !,!H!.!_ • !,!H!,!.0!,!H!,!.0!,!0 • !,.!0!,.!0.!,0!,!00!,_!0!,.!0.!,0!,!U!,.!OC!.' ,:_•:::UO:,:••::_•v:c...::•:.::••.:.:•,c__ _ _ _ , • ~~,;:: Trout expla.inS hoice of Wieneke NOW that "La Belle Hollandaise" has been recovered, Pr11f111110r ) Presley and his fellow malcontents should serloUBly Cflftslder ... their part In this most unfortunate and regrettable affair. There la no doubt that manaser of a public com• wu bitter, vicious and UD• If he and hla usoclatea pany. pardonable. •'• had taken the trouble to He must have not only She stated that Mr. check the accuracy or t.heoretlcal, but what la Wieneke wu a "Yea" man ~ otherwise of the rumour more Important, practical which meant he tacked j that the Trll!tees were con- knowledge of ar<. an open character and It waa a , slderlna selling our maJor mind, tute, Jud11U1ent, matter or the "blind lead– , petntlnRs, the removal of lnteartty, common sense, a ln11 the blind." 1 the painting and these at- capacity to handle staff, This wu a very rrave ,. tacki on the Trustees and and the public. and many reflection on Mr. Wleneke's Mr. Wieneke would have other quallflcatlona for capacity and competeno~. • been avoided manaaement. especially In hla OCCUPII• Jn view of Profeaaor Thla la why the trustees tlon to earn hla livelihood " · Presley's statement In last chOse Mr. Wieneke be· and ls not only 1rouly un– - Friday's Telegrarh he ap- cause he hu all of these true but also malicious • l)arently has no accepted qualifications, and, what la Are the public aware ~- my statement and there- moat Important. he la no that Dr. Gertrude Lana:er ,.. tore one bea:lns to wonder 1tran1er and la so favour• was an unaucceaarul ap- why he persists In hla Jet• ably known and trusted, not pllcant for the .POlltlon or 1, ten tot.he newspapers and only to and by the trustees director of the Queensland i who Is stlrrlnR him 011 but to the public for 10 Art Gallery on a previous · Ia It because he and ·his manLyl~ears. 00 f:'lg~ the reaaon ahe la aponaors are endeavourlna: Ke, trust 80 crltlcal of the trustees I to do everythlnl! IJOll•lble The artists of Australia and hu shown so much \ to Influence the Govern- also know and like end malice toward • Mr. Wlen- ment not to appoint Mr. trust him eke? ii' Wieneke or Is It because Two ot our previous It la hoped tbat when he and his academic col- directors were Mr. Robert the trustees nake their 1 • leagues who are so critical Campbell, a well-known appeal to the public for •.' of the present Trust.eea painter. and Mr. Robert funds for a new art pt. want these positions them- Haines who wu an Utterlor lery that these malcon- selves? decoralcir. tents will be eQuallv u M d t t To my knowledge neither ireneroua with their dona- i' 0 •• sr•n of these aentlemen had a tlona and their services In 1 The present and paat degree In Pine Arts. raising funds u the:v have truateea have elven many Why then dldn 't the been with their criticism '· years of valuable honorary academics criticise their and complalnta. i service to the gallery apd appointments as they have We can only wait and with ,n extremely modest crttlclaed Mr. Wleneke"s? aee, but qujte · frank!:, I I annual grant from the Is It because of the verv much dn11bt It. - Government have been sue- reasons previously refer~ r.on Troa1, ehalrman ef ' ceutrll In •acquiring works to? · ,3'ffl•teee. Qaefflalen• Art of art to a value of over Both Mr. Cempbell and Galler:,, · ,1.000.000. Mr. Haines made very ---- - ·. They have purchased all maJor contributions to our • i types of works of art which gellery,_ and It wu due to I th bit I t Mr. n a Ines' practical are n e PU c n er- knowledge of art and hla · eat. . outstanding taste and , Whether the director of Judgment that the gallery a gallery should or should has acquired some of the · not have a degree In fine flneet statuary (especially I arts la an old one ind there the E1111tetna and the are arguments for and DeguJ and paintings In agalmt It. Australia. I , An academic degree Mr. Haines' assistance In • alone la not sufficient be· acquiring the Rubin Col- I · cause unfortunately very lectlon muat also not be often people with academic forgMotten. · I degrees not only In Pine ore able I Arta. but In otiler fields are ' I , so theoretical but lack the ln my opinion both Mr. · many other 'qualifications Campbell and Mr. Haines which are 10 necessary for were far more competent , , aucceaa directors than Mr. Laurie 1 · . Thomas, our lut director, 1 The director of a public who did have a degree In 1 r art gallery la similar to a Pine Arts, 1 It must be remembered 1 l also thet some of the fin- 1 est collections ot art treu- 1 urea throughout the world ,. are not In galleries but are ] owned by people without any academic degrees and • have been pu1·chased on · · advice of people without I · degrees, very often pur– chased according to their own Judgment and taste and often upon advice from competent artists also wit.bout desrees. tlo~~tralla Is no excep• ov!f thee !~r1J"'~~}~~'h:V~ been purchued tor very ~igh tg~lce!c~~e:i~ ad~~~ many of them are now of I lltthi value lntrtnalcally orl In any other way. I D1·, Gertrude Langer'sJ i!!~~~afl~ th ~r.rus~~n"ei~ ~~ ~ I CJ 16 47 - ,._ .. , ..