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

I "SUNDAY TIMES" Perth, W.A. f11t JUN 19~7 Too much emphasis on the name and price HEN the n'ame tag of a painting de– cldH the price It ls l11- lett11lng to notice the f:~~r~~tfi~;~ry chnngo Mention the $200,000 Plcauo alolen this week from a Qur.enslnnd Art Gallery am! ho If the population wuuld not 11:now th~ title or aub– /:t matter of the paint- . fact' t11°itTI;11 t:~n Pie~~~ ao, therefore this must be I treat painting, Mention the Mona Lisa, nnd almost all the populntlon know It 11 a great pulnllng, The other half probably would not know the name of the artist. Too much emphasis Is laid lodny on namea and prices or palnllngs. The result Is that when the art \'lcwer seea this piece he wonders what all the luu 11 about and l\''hat Idiot would pay such a price for ,uch a picture. Today's values are be- ''TltUTH" Ing 1omewhat dl1torted and dlHlcult to under- 1tnnd by the layman and ollen the profes- 1lonal. Adoration or the Ma111, The Sistine Celling Palntln11s. The Lnst Supper, Virgin of the Rock•, bring to mind great paintings without full knowledge of most people who painted them. Todny, rnntnsllc, soar– Ing prices for glmmlclui, luru and apoofa, be– come hopeful Invest– ment. like •tocks and ahnres. Certainly t.hlll ~~~1 1 ~.~n~: rf~~~t :i:::n amount• of oil for auch vnst sums of money. I wonder If we'll live to \\'ltnes., the market coll– npsc. EN~~~~n cl':traif:~ artists on Saturday, Aug– u..t 5, for the Oeraldton t{1~e6gf':~Kc?-¥1:'e ~~~~!~ Brisb.ane, Q. "TELEGRAPH" ~bi~~t, o~~t~1~!~fri1 •,~! aquare feet. Other 1ec– ttons for Victorin dist– rict residents Include oil painting, watercolor and beginner's prize. Entry forms are available from WA Art Gallery. Mr. Frank Norton will be I.he Judie. A SELECTION oJ · paintings from the t! A .,9,:-t ~~n~r.ellll~r l~'! Perth Alrpo~ No. 3 VIP room on the mezz- anlne floor ol the term• ln~h:u~~~~mi1on w!ll be open from June 20 to 24. ArtLl!ts within a 100-mlle radius or AlbRnY were Jm·lted by Albany Broad• casters to submit worka tar the competition. a aelectlon from \\'hlch thlll dlspl~ comprl.6ee. TOTAL prlzemoney of fl200 I• being offer– ed In the NSW Grace Art. Prize 1967. T.,.o sections of modern palnlln~ anll t,rndltlonal palnUnK each have '500 tint and flOO 1econd prize. Prize • wlnnlnr entrlea remain the pro– perty of the arUst. The John Caldn Mem• orlal A\\'llrd for water• color carrlea flOO rtrat prize and '50 aecond prize. Entrlca close In Sydney on August , and ,epar– ate panels of Judgea wlll be appointed for each ae~~Y forma are avtJ!– Rble from WA Art Oal– l«Y, Brl11Nne, Q. ·crank ha missing Pi·casso? MYSTERY telephone calla hne ...n made to Mn. Julie Rubin, the wiclow of Maior Harold de Vahl Rubin, who donated the Picasso painting "stolen" from the Queens– land Art Gallery last week. Mrs. Rubin's maid taken by answered a call which a5 Mrs. claimed that the pects, an "art lover." painting - La Belle Theft 01 the palnth,; Ho 11 an d a Is e-was ;;;:~,.. ~ 11 :!~~:~d• 0 J>u:~: • ,,. ~.'{ . ..~.·· 1 art market at $200,0011- 17 ~-· · ha! s11arked off one of •·, ., . Quern•land's blg,:e,t po I I c e l11vestlgatlo11•, wllh six cktectlvn a•- 1l1ned to the cue. Mrs. Rubtn talked to Sunday Truth yesterday and told how upset she WIL~ that her late hus– b•11d's "fJLvorlte piece or art'' wlls nusstng. She said : "I am reluct– ant over the publicity about this 11nd I really don't w•nt to talk about It too much. "But now you've con– tacted me r must llllY that It Is a drnadrul buslne811. "The Major l•••d that painting. It -• - ol n,. rrom the ralul,le &ahln collectlon that he gare to the art In•••• nr Queensland, Rumors "I've had ml~ed thou~hts about It all, that n111ybe • crhnlnal stole It to sell ror whatever he could get. hut now I'm more in– clined to bt•llcve that It Wll.'\ the work or a rmnk." Mrs, ltubln sRld that 11he wa~ almost ton– •lnrerl thnt ·'whoever ,t11le the 1111lntln,r did ,., hecam..e or rumors that Lh• /\rt Gallor.v wa, ,rn– lntr to sell It to ral.., fund11." "The IICl'SOn who called wlum I w11s out suld lht1t 11 111ybe the painting was a rorycr.v. "TI1I., Is RbRolute rubbish. MaJttr Rubin pnld $12,000 for her I La Belle Hollan– dolsc I In London about the t1111c nr the war and It w,,s hl• 11rl•,e 11lecc." Mrs. Rubin told how • 11hoto~r111>hed copy of La Bello Holltu1dalse hMd been 111ade. and hRd b@en hun11 In the u1>stRlrs section or ~, I • .67 Picasso found in raid Pellce ••••••re<I the ltole11 Plcoaao palnllnt, worth $200,000, In • ralfl 011 • lri1bon1 hoUM '°"·•· The raid was led by Brisbane CIB chief ln- 1peetor W. II, aae1.: with Dete,,tlve Senior Serseant I, r.rcSporran and Detee– tlve Sersea11t M. G. Chab,,ers, Inspect~r Raetz would not dlsclo,e where police recovered the painting, La Belle Hollandnlse. Therald followed Infor– mation received prsonally by Insriector Raetz today, He snld later the point– Ing was at Police Head– quarters. and did not ap– pear lo have been dam– aged. Immediately Inspector 'Raetz received Information today ,he went to t,he MaR"lstrntes Court office In Brisbane. and swo1·e out a search warrant. It Is underslnod no ar– rest was mnde when the palntlnR', formerlv part of the Rubin collec'tlon, was seized. The painting wns stolen In a da1'ing burglary on . June 5. A thief bl'oke into the Queensland Art Oalle,.y through a window 20 ft. nbo1·e the gl'OUnd La Belle Hollnndn!se was ttie only Item S'lolen. The theft came a,t the height or controversy about the recommendation bv the board o! truslees ori the appointment of a new gal– lery dlreotor. Mr. James Wieneke, nnd nmld rumora, denied otflclnlly, thnt ,.ome Rubin collectlon pelntlngs were to be sold, . Police have been dMlled In opinion. that a hoax may have prompted the tiheflt. In,pector Raetz look no rlskd and a&igned a top team of detectives to the lm•estlgatlon. He said kldny: ''Our main oona!m today hM been tile r..,o,·ery of Ute painting. and t.hat baa been done. "Further lnvest,lagtlons tn mnde." Canberra, Missing Picasso found hy police · BRISBANE, Mon- day, - Police today re– covered the missing ~200,000 Picusso paint– '"~• La Belle Hollan– daise, which was stolen from the QuCl:JUlii.wl -irLGallery Inst Mon- ~ But they have refu•cd ln comme~t _on lhc recovery of the P•mllng other than lo say they seized it from a suburban house nnd that i theyi were makins further nqu ries. f tn a brief slalemen1 lhis B t.er ;1oun, lhc chief of the R ns nne CIB, Inspector W ~e!z said that after re· ?'"lnhg confidential informa: JO~ e and three other de– tccltl'cs 'Carched a hou,c ~"1 recovered the Plcas,,o ~ ,cvc_d 10 he lhc mo,t val: u,,ble 1n Australia. lnsp, Raetz declined to comment further than lhis but by 10 niah1 nobddy had b~ch hharged in conneclion ~~~- 1 • lheft of lhc paint- G Tte chairman of the A rt T II cry lrus1ec,, Sir Leon rout, snid loaighl he would arrnn~c for 1111 Uri expert to examrne lhe I?•lnling lnmor– row lo cstnblish thn1 it was th e In,~ Picasso and whclhc~ or 1101 11 had been damaged. d I.a Bdclle Hollauduisc w·, .''"ale . 10 11\e Quec.nsla~ci nrt G,,llcry 111 19\q . ,·aluahle c•llecrion· of,n,h: l111c . Mr H,.rol,1 Do V hi Rubin. a 1-1(• widow, Mrs Julie Rubm, said tonight "I ~~•;? gr:. 1_,·1ul 10 1hd pcrs~~ , o n1111t u.•U police where 11 could he found nnd f . h fm;1 it b nnw h11ck . or I c hunds''. ~he ~11id, in .safe . t3 JUN 1967 '(ivr...-· &.,... / · No faith in trustees of - art gallery A RT hl • torlan and critic Dr. Gertrude Longer entered the Alt Gallery fra.1 ye • - terdoy with a lady-like • lam at th1 9allery'1 tru1tee1. needs the eXJ)erlence of "I have no faith In travel and studying the the collective taste of better galleries of the world. J the trustees, and ·It "In Australia, It la seems they only want senllal that one h111 a a yes man as gallery veloped aenoltlv!ty to the director" she said art of the preaent. for thla , • · Is the only art we can a(- bl;.:j f.1!~l~I! ath°eas~ll~~-the {?;~. to build up a colle • 1n"fh;ilycl~~~t!~~~ 8 t~t~ "The Queensland Oal gallery will not acquire art lery has mlsaed opportunl works' of any ahmlflcanc~ tlea by not reco11nlaln or variety " early the genius of Aus Dr Laii1:er with a trallan painters, who no Doctorate of Philosophy In are In demand the worl art history from Vienna Ol'er. University, Is orobablv the Wh t b highest qual!fled art critic 8ft O UY In Australia. She studied , art history at the Sorbonne, 'The irallery needa In Paris. for " ye:i.r man who can recOllllla She Is Queensland pre- artistic merit and know sldent or the Art,; Council when to buy a patnt!n Immediate PRSt president el'en If he might not Ilk of the Art Oallerv Society, It personally, a member of the Inter- "I do not trust their (th natlonlll Assoc!eUon of Art t,rustees) taste. None of Crlllcs. with headquRrters them can claim to be In Paris. and an execut.lve an expert, and It seems member of the Austr11llan that under the present branch of the nssoclatlon. set-up or the board, Lecturer ~~:~tede~~ are not Dr. Langer hRS lectured "It 11 rrlghtenlnr that wtdelv on art and visited the trustees 11ield auch a virtually every major sal- lot of power In aelectlng 1 erv and art museum In the works of art. woJ~t statement on the art "Their oowen extenda to ;allery row followed a disposing ol paintings when ',elevlslon r.ppearance by they see flt - perhaps .he chalrmi:n of trustee's Palntlnga that ,llllght con– ,Sir Leon Trout 1 who out- fer some greatneas on our lmed his view., on the dis- ~aller:v. ?Ule on the appointment T d d tl a new gallery director. Urft8 0Wft The trnstees have re- ·ornmendcd Mr. ,James "Some fine exhll:tl.lona IVelncke for the post. Cabl- that 11•ere · avallabltJ to ,et has postponed con- Queensland have been 'lrmntlon or the appoint- turned dol\'n because they 111cnt. did not meet with the Dr. Lnnger snld that Sir tru.,1ecs' approval. Leon seemed to require or "In these clrcumstanceti :he net1· director onl,v It becomes even more 1m: oynlt)' and a knowledge of port.ant l.n have a dlrec– _,he mnrket l'n.lue or paint- tor with t,he quallflcatlona 111~s. to ~ulde his trustees. Yet, Scholarshlp to..!uldc his trustee~. fhere are other RBPecta "No mention Is mnde of too. A director must know I.he need for scholarship," how lo dlsplav nrt, works snlct Or. Lnngr.r. "This Is nU.rRollvel)•. He needs to 1ulte lmporlnnt.. know ll'hAt kind of ~allery "I consider a direct.or we need If 11·e Rre to ~et a also must hnvo Inborn ne9.• one. ~ensltlvlt)'. This Is S<1mc- "W~ arc living In an ex– thing that cannot lJ<o clllng period ol AustrAl!an l_nu~ht. but It CRn he de- palnl,ln11. WhRt a tra 11 edy 1 rlnpcd b,v sound trnlnln~ .,If the 11 •llr.rv Is unnhle to such ns nn nrt hlstorlnn·s,ctr.termlne ";hat 1s worth- clr.~,~ee~nllrr,v director Also ~~~IS " nd "'hAt Is "' 0 r th •