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

"TIMES" f3 ,JUL 19ff7Canberra, A.C,T, $200,000 THEFT $200,000 PICASSO Picasso 'hidden ''HIDDEN IN • RAIN''-Police Ill hush' BRISBANF. Wcclnesday.- A S200.(X)(J Pahln Pic-as~o ~ainting, ~ Belle Hollandni~e. had heen hidden ,n hush n 1u~1ry r rntected from ram B RISBANE. - A painting valu«:d at $200,000 was wrapped m by blankets. 1he Magistra1e·s Court was 11, lcl tnd,ty. blankets and hidden in the rain in bush country on the outskirts o, Brisbane, the Brisbane Masi•• trates' Court was told yesterday. "TELEGRAPH" A y,>1111g New Zcalanu. 11:irl then returned the painl· ing 10 Mrs Julie Ruhin al her home on June 11 . I , Brisbane, Mrs. Rubin 'didn't know night caller' H< had lold Mrs Ruh111. whnm he did nut know, lo keep ii a month and lhcn rl'lurn ii 10 1he Quccnshmll Art Gallery. Mr< _ Rubin's tale h11'h11nd hAd given lhe r ai111ini to the gallery. A 22 - year - old New Zcnlnnd mnn then took the pnlnllnr: - Plcasso's ··Ln Belle Hollnnclnlse" - l o Lhe home of Mrs J II lie ltubln. Del. Sen. 1-~t. .I. McS1111r– ran told the court thnt Mrs nuhin did not know the 1111111 llohr.rl 1to1111ld lttch– anl 'Ferguson, n lnlJorcl'. lie said Ferguson told Mrs Hubin to keep the rrn inting for :1. month, Lh 1 retlll n It to the Q Ut!Cll.5· lnnd Arl Gnllcrv. I ~lrs R ubin's husband orh.:inall,\" AU \'P t he pa int• in~ tu the 1-!Ullcr.r.1 Sol. McSporran .s11id F,•r- fri1t1~ncc1LO~l~c ~~1 1 ~'tic ~•l~cl ~';~~ ~pg;grJ~~C t~l~~~:.~~nu~1!, bO " I wns goinl? to keep the pnlt1tin u- myscU, for m y own salisfncttou." Fer~uson ls chnr1?cd with lmr hui broken nnd entered 1l;c Queensln11d Art Gallery 011 June 5 011d st.nlen " Lo Belle Hollandnisc." Fcrg11so11 snid he read In a llCWSPllJ)Cl' thnt I he p11 t11ll ng wn:; !'.!Oing to_ he sole!. so he hnd decided lo st w! 1 i;itend<'d lo keep the imin t lnt-t. b11t ch nn ~ed his mind some days Inter. Sgt. M~~~ 0 "~'.',\\Jgt'.L June 11. Fercu~ori took the pnint \ng to Mrs Ruhin's home rt1HI told her to kcrp It IOI' n month hcfore returning ll to the ~allcry. He hncl not mcL Ruhin befor e, Sgt. 5 1 f 1\ 1 / 11 1~~:~fnl! wris .nd- jot1rnccl \lttlil this lllOl'llll\~. "MORNING HERALD" 13 \.I 11 Sydney, N.S.W. ART WORK ALLEGEDLY ! HIDDEN IN BUSH BRISBANE, Wcdncs- day.-A $200.000 r a hlo Picasso painting. La Belle Hollandaise, had hccn covered with blankets and hidden in bush countrv, the Magistrate's Court was told today. Rain had fnllen while the painting wali in the bt1'-h, the Court was fold. A young New Zealandcr had returned the paintinµ 10 Mrs Julie Ruhin al her Brishnnr home. Mrs Ruhin'• lute hus– hnnd, ~lajor Harold de Vnhl Ruhin. had µivcn the pninlinµ In the Queensland Art Ciallcry. The New Zealander. Roherl Ronald Richard Fcrgu~on. 1~. l:ihourcr. plemletl not ~uihy 10 a chnrµe of havinp hro~cn nnd entered the ()uecnslnnd Art Gnlleri• on June ~ and . tnlen the paint in~. Jn a rtl'Ord of an inter– view rend lo the Court, Ferµu ,on allegedly told De– tcctivc-Scrii:canl J McSpnr– rn n he had .'1nlcn the rwint– ·nl! hom the Arr Ci allcry ;1hn11r midnit,?ht on June 5-6. l·le hatl hidden 1he paint– ing in h11,hc~ al Petric and Ml Nebo on the ,m1, ~ir1, of Dri'ihilnr . Askrd what his in1cnl h1n~ had hccn, he ~:lid he had rc:ul in a ncw"l'"r cr 1h111 1hc- r :lin1inJ! "'a, 1,?ninp: In he sold and he hntl dc– cidtd lo , tc:t l it. Mc had ,a id he intended to dcr,rivc the ownrr~ rcr– nrn ncntlv of 1hc rminlinµ anti then had ch11nµed his mind ~nmc <lay~ later. On S11n1lav, June I, he hnd 1aJ..~n the r:lintin,:? tn Mr~ R11h1n\ hnmc nncl had 10l1I hr r lo keep ii fnr n nw n1h heforc rc111rmn,:? it to the Arl Gnller)'. He di,1 not ~now ~lrii Ruhin. The hearinµ will continue Mrs. Julie Eleanor Rubin s,11id in the Magistrates Court today that she could not identify the man who handed to her the $250,000 Picasso painting La Belle Hollandaise. She said a man with his hat pulled dawn over his eyes arrived unexpectedly at her home in Garfield Street, Bardon, with the painting and left almost immediately. .\lrs. Rubin was ,gl\'ln i; 'lu11clulse~ tlw J>l'OIX'l't.Y r\'ldcnce 111 Ihe cu:,,c . in the t rnslce~. whicl~ Holwrt H:?!'luld n 1~1. 1 .- 1 M rs. Ruhln identified ard ' ,.~11:-.:,0 11. ,21. la~ 0 . 1 .c 1 ,- lht• /1ai ntllq 111 the cou rt wa.". ,cilnrgcd Y. ith h,_t\ ~ll~ as r tc one gl\'cn to the on 01· about June 6 bz okell •a!cr v bv her lute lu1~~ 11nd entered the pavillo 11 1 G:11111: MiLJor Ha rold Rubin 1 111 1hr Trustees or the 111 l %O Queensln11d Art Onllcr~•1 Slil' Cntcrcd the court a nct stolen _ La Belle Hol- ,Lhroug h n m alflstratc·.s - room to a\'old u. group of ' 11 h 0 1\~ ... ~n;rl\bi 1 ;t· snirt Iltnl ohoul 10 p.m . on .June 11 Si ll' \\'US worki ng 111 twr /o tri<"c when sht• l1cn rrt her i !:;~~:,;;;c1· 1 ;~ hold painting" .., wenl tn Utt• front door. s wilch t'd Oil Illf' lli..:h t nnrt SA W a urn n slnncHng t herr:· snld I\Jn; n 111Jin. " He lwd his hat pulkd over 11 l." eve.-. nncl t ltc point lni,,t \i.u.s ll'ftll lll!! ag1Lins1 lils tc.~·~·"· f:1cl n1.! 111t•. I re nsl~Ctl lnt.' to kCf'I) 1 lw µn i11tin~ fur :m dnv... n11rJ not In fell lhl' fMJl i<-e." She snlrl 111,• onl\' word she ~pnkr ro th e flllln wns I ~tc~> tl~:11r10~1-~~~l d id no1 1 M n,. H ubin sa id t lH• pn.inl lng wns not Wnlf)l)NI. , Ncxl mor11l11'-: J)Olir:e- 1 ~~~led fll1d took Lhe f)l\int- t\t r~. R ubin sad she had nel1 her hea rd or Ihe 1111\n r nor seen him beforr . Gross-rsnm inL•d h\' M r. R. S. Watson f for F'el'l!ll• son, i\frs. R11hl11 SO id 1111\L Al, thr I lllle 01 tl U' l llcfl, 1 lhe fl l'l c.nllcrv c-on trm·ersv 1 wns 111. Its lu:lghl . · I She hurf .1olcl 11('\\.·:-tp:,p,•rs lhAL 011\' 1>ln11s till' 1\1'1. i.:nllcr,r mhdll hR\'P LO :-;ell 1~1~r,l,'~ria: ~-'~m~·t~~{',~ ~.~:-~ I clls1,:raccful. "Difficult to sell" ] Detectl\'c Sen ior gcnnt J . l\1lcSpor r:1n. 1J.'l10 vc.s1~rctnv i?ll\"C {'\'ld1•n~e or nn interview wit h I Fenrnson. snid in cross- ~~i,\'t "~[ 10 ~1r\·'.~~:~:;1 11 ~u~ 1 fii auuC'nred ro br irn-olved in Ihe Iht•[t or L• Beil.• Hollunda1sr . Tile 1>nin1irn: wo111r1 h1• tllf) .'•-1 rllrfit· ult 10 cth u,1:-.t• or brcuw,<' 01 II.~ f:11111• f F'enrnson hnd il'r1 h11n - 1self onrn 1,, rn ,..,.,.;itJI,• i<l1•t11lflcnr 1.in In• ~l r.... . Hn1,tn whrn hl' v,,! 11 nrari lv lnnk 111,, n1in11t11.! ru l11•r Sir l.f'n11 T ru11 1. 111·1•.. 1- d r111 OI l h f' Q IIC'l'll .. J;111rj I A/"I C'r111lt•n· T rt1 .. lf•f•~ .... :1•.rl • !~ ~t• wi,~ lfhllrl'd 1111 ·:· ~ .~ \Vllfr·~(I Atnl1•\· T 11rn,.., '-c:. :-t RNlcli l f, • ... hn11k1•1• 1•·t ~ • .-. SUJ<i IH' rn11ld 111H r,•1•,1;1 .,, t l!n,·11w !.nld nn \· (·;111•, ,1 . I, , • .. IJ ,•1 1 •11._0ll .1 1\d Cil ,lf':I\,' \;! , 1 /t,~ 1 'it1~; J~};~;:~·r1•~ n';~~ 1 .;~!! ~ ~· ,·t · 11w111 slarr. 1tllr•,e ,•d 1,, 11:n ,. olcl Prr'..!11.'~1)11 :-1 11111111 hl:1n kr1 sn1<I 1lw -.1 111,• .-.. dd :ll,0111 ~JOO nf 1!11•!-or hi 1n !~– r 1.-. a 1110 111II P1' l'C! ll!-iOl1 h1•fr1rr M r I•: ff Si\1 1nsnrc1or \\' The man is alleged lo have told De1eclive-Senior Sergeant J. McSporra~, 1 ,'I was ,atisficd the public did nol nrrret·iate the painting. so I decided In ·steal it". Sergeant McSporran said in evidence today that Robcn Ronald Richunl Ferguson. 22, labourer, hn<l told him, " I was going to keep the painli_ns ~1y~elf, for my own s1111sfact1on . Ferguson had said he had hidden the painting. wrapped in hlankets, in bushes at Petric and Mt Ncbo, on the oulskirl• of Brisbane. Contesting el1arge Ferausnn Is contesting a charge of having broken nnd entered the Qucenslnnd Art Gallery and stmerr7lle paTll!lng. Detective• guarded the pninling in the courtroom today. Accordin~ lo a record of interview rend to the court, Ferguson had tnld Sergeant McSporran he had stolen the pain1ing from the aal– lery about midni~ht on June ~ Me had climbed scaf– f~lding and enten:~ the building through a wmd 0 '."· He had said he had read. tn n newspaper that the pn,nl– ing was to he sold _nnd he had decided lo steal 1t. Ho had i111enclcd to .d•– ,irivc !he owner or the paint– ing pcrmancnt1y. hut hnd ·hanged hi" mind ~ome day!i 1 nter . S!11111i.;011 llM'-f'l'llt,·d 1·h•n rir1u 1111 n 1,=s=•..__ _. .,.._,.,..,;..,tQ;....,_..._~