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

Melbourne, Vic. 1 ;. ,l I , QFi 7 Court told about "picture theft" HISIANE. - Police told Brisbane M1tl1tr,te'1 Court today that a man admitted 1tealln1 the $200,000 Plca • so painting "L~ l1lle Hollandal • e" from the Queensland A,', Gallery and hiding It in the bush. The man, Robert Ron– ald Richard Ferguson, 22, laborer, was charged with hnvlng broken Into the gallery on or nbout June 6 and stolen the painting. where he hid IL under a bush. L111 c1· lie clerldccl to re– turn •he painting 10 Mr, Rubin. who hncl given It to the gnllery. COURT CLAIM ON WINDOW MARKS • $200,000 PAINTING THEFT CHARGE Det. Sit, J. McSporrnn said he and other poUce– men went to Mrs Julie R 8 ubln's house In Bardon, rlsbane, on June 12, and found the painting In n bedroom. Police then went to a ~:, li1;:f~~~~~• where they Det, tt. · McSporran IRld Ferguson told him : ,.I read In the papers about IOllleone 11olng to sell the painting. I was satisfied the public did not appreci– ate the pointing so I de– cided lo steal It. He handed II to her. unct usked her to keep It for a month nnd then gl\•e IL tn gJ~hf~(~,f_· She seemed The hearmg Is 11ot nn– lshed. A screwdriver claimed to match marks around on upper window of the Queen1JJ-nd_~rt _Gallery was pro– duced as evidence at the hearing of the La Belle Hollandaise theft charge in the Magistrates Court today. Robert RonnId Richard I- All ---;ii,c1ows and doors Fcrc:1115011. 22. laborer. on the ,:round floor were from New Zealand. wos Intact. But he noticed a chnri,;ed wllh hnvini,; cord dnngllni,; outside an broken and entered the upper window of the pn\'illon o! the Trustees bullclln1>r. "I was going to keep It for my own snusractton." The detective said Fer- 111110n told him he took the ll&lnUng, wrapped It In a blanket, put It In his car, and drove to Redcllffe, 25 miles north of Brlabane, g'at/~~~- ~ue5~,~~ni :;J "Clear m,orkl ~t 1 "f:iol,~~" 1 3}~ni,;i,r6~~~~~ around window" o! the trustees. He said he climbed up He appeared on remand ~~f~r~dln:andou~~• cl~I~~ from Julv 4. marks aruund this win- Detective Senior Con- dow whlcl1 appeared t.o be stable 0. S. Duncnn. ol fresh . the CIB Brisbane. said The wh,dow wos ol the he was called to the type whlc1\ w,cs opened by Rnllerv at 8.15 a.m. on pullln~ a cord to release June 0. a sprln1< catch. He wns shown an empty Detectl\'e Duncan snld picture frame 1v1n1: race that on Julv 4 he was down on the floor. The hnnded two screwdrivers back or the lrameworK one with n blue-colored had been prised out he handle and the other an sol amber-rolured hnndlc- . bv Detective senior Ser- 1:ennt J . McSparrnn nt CIB Hejr.ouarters. Brisbane, Q. f 3 JI II 1 f~IDENCE IN MAGISTRATE'S Picasso painting 'left in rain' A $200,000 Pablo Picasso painting had been hidden, covered with blankets, in the rain in bush country near Brisbane, the Magistrate's Court was told yesterday. Police said a young1· In- 1t- record or on inter- ecULed a search wnrrnnt New Zealander had re- view read 10 lhe court ll Mrs, Rubin's home. The turned it lo Mrs. Julie fit~::~ 0 '.;tol~.\d ll~~c.~,n~~-1;~~ ~~~·:~~::\ WAS found In a Rubin et her home. \' from the Art Gallery On June 24. McSporran He had told Mrs. R1,oln, About midnight on ,June ond Cholmers locnlecl Fer– whom he did not know. to 1 ~-R. He ,had clhnlJcd on ·w son In n !lot at Cowen keep It a month, I.hen re- workmen s scafloldln_o And Street. Mnrgnl.e, where he tum il to Lhe Art Gallery. entered through a wmctow. l!ved with R n_iorried He Is alleged to hove Asked whnl his lnten- ·,ouple. who owned •he told Detective Senior-Ser- Uons hRd hren. hr snl<l ... r hr drove c~nt J . McSporran : "The hAcl renrt 111 the news- Ob" ti AS satisfied I.he public r,npcrs 111Rt someone JeC On Id n.1t oppreclat• th• plannrcl tn sell the point- F'erguson hAd ,·01d. "Oh, alntln~. so I decided to"'" so he ded ctcct to Sl.enl yrs; I look the pain ting. lcnl It." II. . I'm not rlcnvln~ that." McSporran said Robert . . ~skrct .11 he hacl lnt enrlcct Mr WAI.ion SAld lie Ron•ld Richard Fer~uson, to . deprive th c owner, would be !orma1·11· obJcct– ~2. l~borer, had told him : ~t~~!~gen 1;~v >Al/r ..Ye/ hi in~ to the record o! Inter- ! \\Bs goln~ to keen the rild: and 11 ,vas not. until view b,emg aclmllterl as pn_lntlnu mysr.tr .,, fnr mv ~nmc rinv~ lntrr thnt 1 evidence on the grounds own satlsfnctlon. chanerd · 111 • mind.. t1111t It hart not brrn ob- Ferguson h nd said h~ ' · 1alnerl In ar-r:ordancc with had hldrien the palnl.lng In window l11e Criminal LAW Act re- In bushes. f11·sl. Al PeLrle, lot.In~ to cnnrrsslnns, Tl1e lhrn nl, Mt. Ncbo. t' erg11son snlct he hnd feAI test would be lrrt to "Frightened" ,~~e cl~~ ti1;10,i:,rLh~·!\~i~ th ~r~!~ll~~ c3urk Dun,.n n The detective told Mr the paintln~ lo lm,·e a told Mr Wa tson 1.hnt be– Bnkcr SM that Ferguson look Al _It.. After taking It lore .rune 6 The Cour1cr– lotd hlni ·he had llnally out _ol Its • ll'nmc and Mnll had mentioned the returned the painting to cllmb111g ha ck Ihrn11gh the possibility or the sale nl Mrs Julie R11bln He had winnow. he drove In " the Rubin collrcllon AL lhc lak.cn It lo hrr .hnme In borrowed spo~ts car to Art Gallery. His lnq11lries Oarrleld Street Bardon Petrie. H1• t111ned Into n rc\'caled that on J1111r 3 He hna n~t orci,1ouslv mei,slde road and hid . the I.here had been a demon– hrr. and she had not ·Q11es- pnl,nt,lng , In the bushes, strntlon al thr Art Gnllcry 1.1onert him ; she 11pprnred CO\~l ed " 1th a blnnket. by 20 )'01lll~ prnplr.. ton !rl~hlened . 1 ..11e1 tha t dav he had Thr hr.nrlng \\'As F'er~uson hnd told Mrs. ~;;i 1~:;"d ~\\'~ 8 • 1~ 1~ Ni~ JE_urned Utll!I ICJ<la)'. Ruhln 1whnsr lnte hU!-=h~nri hut--hc:--. cnvrl'ert wit Imel rlnnRIP.rt t,h~ pnlnl mc tihutkcts to thr Art Gnll"tT • tn krrp T lir i·i•t"nrd nf ln tervlr, l'1r nnlntltHt n mnnlh Lhf"n c·ntH !nn"cl 1hnl Ferc.wm l'Cf.111'11 it tn Lhf' Al't. Gnl• ..:olrl ill" then hri;nn I lcr~'. · ihlnk It wn . nnt rn,r r Frrgusnn Is cont.rstln~ n the w1rlnw or till' mnn wh r.hnrge or lrnl'in~ bro•rn ,hnrl donAlrrl ll1r paint.In~ • 11d rn Ierrci lhe Qucens- lnnd Al'l onllrr)• nnd sl.olrn , Home search \'.~· P•~~i:lcai,~11~~,'~ 1 ~l: 1 r~1 Oil thr nl'Xt S11nda. va lued n ~200.nno. 1 ,J11ne t I• he hA~ tnkrn Dclecl.lres. In shi rts, It 10 Mrs. Rubin• home cuarctrrt the 11a inllnc. nnd he t.olri her 10 krep 11 cshlhll 12, In the court- !or n mnn lh nnrl 1·rturn 1·00111. A ]All wn1·drr snl It to thr Art Gnllrry _ Hr nt, lht slcte of 1hr r1ork. dl'O\'e llomr tn \itnrgnlr "'!IIAl'r1hll! Frrc .w.nn Al1cl w,~111 lO hNI. G II i •t MrSpnrrnn told tlu• a ery V SI s ,·htr! pnl l•·r proscrnlor ~l(•~ JlOl't'l\ll IOld ~lr n. 11)1•trr l l\t" l n~1,rclOl' \V D . S. \Votsnn 1clprrnc.. ~nll- ~lmp"ion• lhnt on June 12 d 1or, thnl Frq::11f;n11·~ 11r 1,ncl n r1r c11\·r tnsrwc– fnlhr.r Jrnc1 1nlrt him 1l1nt 1nr \V. lln f'l7 •In r hnrc.r nr his son rrr<111cn_1c<1 nrt 1hr (' 1 n I n11<i DC'lcc11,·r ~nllrrir5 tn Nr\,, ?.rnlnncl. Srrurn111 ~f Chnl11H'rR rs- The following dnv he returned t.o the J(allery an<! matched the two ::::crcu Jrivel'h with l11den– tatlo11s made In the wood– work or t.hc window. He round the blue– hnndled scri,wdrlver fitted the marks. I Under cross-cxnrntnntlon bv Mr. R. S. Wntson, !or Fcr~uson. he n~reed t.hnt nnv scrcw<lrlvcr of the same size nlso would have fitted thes,· marks. FerAuson wns char~cd before Mr. E. II. Bake,·. SM.. / l.,. 11c.,.,•cn, Ta&, l ',I !Ill 1ri -, •~ 4;');'1 , 1 l il'ICASSO HIDDEN IN BUSH RIUSUANE-A S200,000 Publo Picasso painting - I.a Helle llollandal,e-had hl'cn hidden covered with hlan lw t, In bush counlr) 1 , tin· i\lagblratt.i'i; Court \\'a .. told Yl'lill'r<lar. ,\ \,.i1111! '>;,,,,. ·1,•:,lan,h-r had 1tw11 1,•111rrw41 tm· ,,.11111 - in)! 11, .\ \r•: J 1 IH! H.11h111 ut twr l,1,1 ,.._ lit• l,;1d lidd '.\lr~ Ruhit1, whn lw did 11111 know, to k11·p il a 111011t h Hild th,ul re• 111r11 it 111 the ()utcn.:.lnnd Art fi:111,•r•,·. The man is nllc~t1tl 10 hnvr 1111<1 IJt.>t. S1·n.•SJ!f. .1. ~kSporran: •' I wit~ !-oill isfif•d 1hr p11t d1< d1cl nnt oprrN i– :111• tlw pn1n1in1?, so I dc– t tc.l1·d 111 !'Il l .d I!." .·g1 \11 ~p, 1 rnn 'iilitl ,..:,t11•n1,. ,,.-,1,·r • b\' l~11tw r1 !~1 ,11;dd HII t,,ml J!ll!'!Pll • :!:! 1, lnh1 lll'l'r . hnd 1,d<l 111111 ti, l'l,1il h1cld•·n !Iii: 1)n1 n1111g ", :1 pfh·il 111 t,lnnk· ,.,~ 111 hu~h••,; :I[ I'1·1t 11• c111d :,..1 1 -...;,,)11 , , ,11 the , ut ,;,k1rl"i ol l~r1...:h:in,·. McSp,1rrn11 111ltl ~lr llnkrr, s.:-.t , , 11111 F1•q. .:11snn h1ul 11 dtl h1111 he lrncl linnlly r1•. 1ur111•tl rh" llidntinJ,! to i\1n, .l11Ji,, Huhm. F,·r~us n hull IC'ld :\h s Ruh111 , whn~e hushund ,Inn• n1NI 1lw pnlntln..: 10 tlw <)11N•nslnn1! ,.\rt G.1llrr\'l 1n kl· 1 ' 1l it for n mnnth tit:l11n• rL'lu rnin~ It tn !he gnlh'1)'. r-1•rj.!11snn Is ron1c~1inJ? n < har~e 11f trnvln~ brnk,•11 und 1•111 fl n •tl th(' Q1,censlr111tl A ll ( i11 IIN\' n111I !/t1 1 nli11c 1h1• Pu::10:::c.n pninlinl,! r,11 .lt1 n•• 5. ri,r lw t1 rlnl,! \\ii!: ndJnt1rn• I'd 1111 111d:1y.