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

A .C.T. 19G7 ✓-- Picture insured for $200,000 BRISBANE, Thursday. - Sir Leon Trout. presi~ent ~f the ueensland Art Gallery trusteeJ. said i_n ~he Magistrate s Cou rt to ay that the- gallei'yYPic·asso pau~tmg - La Belle Hollandaise - was insured for $200,000 with the Lnsurance Company of North America. l~c w:15 gi\·ing evidcm.·c during the hearing nf a chars• cnnnecied with the theft of lhc painting from lhe gallery l,etwecn June 5 and 6. Ronald Rober! Richard Ferguson. 22, labourer, of New Zealand, is charged with having broken and en– lcrcd the gallery and Molen the painting between June 5 and 6. Ferguson i• alleged to ha\'e hnnded the painting to Mrs Julie Rubin, widow of il5 donor, Major Harold B. Rubin, at her suburban home. "AUSTRALIAN" 14 JU ' . - ' ,,__WIDOW , ' c- c-' 'l - r / ".," CAN'1 1 Brisbane, Q . 14 JUL 1967 No intention of selling Sir Lenn said that, du• pile publicity to the con– trary, at no time had the gallery trustees intended to ,ell lhe picture. IDENTIFY MAN WITH PAINTING The widow of the mll– llonail'e J>hllanthronlst i\lujor Harold nc Vahl Ru om, told a court yes• terih,y thttt she could not Identify a man who lrnnde1l her the $200,000 l'icasso 1>alnllni:, !,a Belle Jlollandalse, slvlen from the Queensland Art Gal• lery. Picasso sale rumour Yesterday, evidence was given that Fergu10n had told l"Olico he &tolo the painling because he had read in a newsral"Cr that it wa• to be sold. Mr, Rubin ,aid today that a man whom she could not idenlify had n•ked her on June 11 to keer the painling for 30 days be– fore handing it back to the s•~~- Ruhin •nid she had rut the pointing in her bed• room, and the next day de• tectives had taken possession of it. The jnurned hearing was until tomorro~:,... "SUN" / Melbourne, Vic. Picasso "was not for sale" Tn 1D5fl 1\1njor gaYe the paintin~ to the ga!ler~·. froni where was stolen on ,J1111c 6. Tiobert HcJ11ulrl Ridund :FerguHm b dHJr.c!<'ci in B r i s b it n c MagLstnttc 1 s Court with h;:wmg hrnken and c11tc1C(I the i,:allr ry and stolen the pHinting. ilrs Hubin tolrl the court that u man l'UlllC to her fron t cloor on June 10. "He had his hal pulled O\/Cl' his Cj'CS ancl the pninting was lcnninJ;? agaln~t his legs, facing lllC/' she said. HAT OVER EYES ''He asked me IC, keep the pai111ing for :io rla,·s nnrl not 10 tel l the police." , The man dirt not enter 1 the house. ]1RISBA!lfE. - Picasso's ~200,000 painti,ng She sairl police took - U Belle Hollandaise - was not in- nwn;· the painting next tended to be sold, the Brisbane Magi • - morning. trate'1 Court was told yesterday. Police alle.ged on Werl- P re s Iden t or the The followln~ dny de- 11csrl:1,· tlw t Fc,·g11,cm Queenslnnd Art Gallery tecll\'es had ant,·cc1 nt aclm:ttecl stcahng the Trusleeti, Sir Lenn her home with n search paintinj? ~bccllll.SC he felt 1'rout, told the court warrnnt nnd tnken nos- the pu blic did not apprc- thls. session or the pnlntlng. c:atc it. The p a I n t I n ~ wns stolen from the gallery They said Inst month. . w ,-;,ppcd up the paintins Robert Ronald Rich- And hit it 11nde1· bnshes al'd Ferl(u s on, 22, Ht Mount Coot-Thu, ovcr- lnborer. or New Zen- looking the cit.". lnnd. hns been charged with stenllng the paint– ing. Police told the court on Wcdnesdify thnt Fer– Alison sold he hud stolen the painting bccnuse he rend it wus to be sold. Evidence h ns been gl\·en tha l Ferguson s tole the pnlnllng from . the gnller.v bel,wccn June 5 nnd 6. hid it in bush coun try nenr Brisbone for fh·c dnys nnd l hen l,ook It lo the widow or 11s donor. Detective s,~nlor Scr– i:rrnnt ,J. l\lcSponan !,:nic! 11nr!r1· rros.~•n~.--1m111nt ion ."C"!-lcl'dav thut then• ;q,. PCOJ'l'ci 10 he n 11 CIC'!1lC11t o( pcrsonuJ prullt in the i ll('lt. He ~atr! thr 1rninting: w nulcI b~ m l):-\ rl i1?icul1 to <11:-ipr'liC' of bec:au~r. t)f It~ forne. \\'Ill The lnlc l\l~Jor 11:tr– oltl R. Ruhln hnd J(l\'cn lhe point ing to the Queenslnncl Ar! Gn llcr v "TELEGRAPH" His wlctow. Mrs ,lulle Jtuhin, told 1ht' coun .\' e ~ I C I' d II ~· r,h (' hnd s1>oken onl,\' one word tn n mnn when he hunrlecl her the pnlnt.lng on Lfunr 11. l1 . J!Jl (' a,· :.ne, Q. S he .snlcl ,he hnd re– pllrd "Yes" when Ihe 11Hlll htld n~kcd her to kt>r p I he 1>nlnl,ir11: for :m rlnys bt•fut't' hnndln~ IL bnck lo the All Iler)' 0lllh– • • ,11 r o ron ·d:1.\ L Ol'it ie.'>, Mr!-- Ruhln ,c.;nld sho llllt lilt• pnilll lll~ in her bedroorn . ., ' I n " ·! Ill I was untrue, court told SIR Leon Trout said at the Pablo Picasso painting theh charge hearing yesterday that, from the outset, a rumour that the Queensland Art Gallery proposed to sell La Belle Hollandaise was untrue. Sir Leon, gallery /•Dctcctlvc Inspector W D trustees president, told Simpson> thnt the Plcass Mr. Bak~r. S.t,(.. this in :ml W;~'ri~.~~~~1c: 2 ~~~~ the Mag1slr11te s Cout'l. 1m ny or North Amcrlcn. He sa \d t!te nppoltllrnent) He told Mr. R. s. wat of n n_c\\ dhcclor of the Art son. defence soilcltor, thn Oalle1y, and n reprlmnnd the entire paintings In th of the nsslstnnt dlreclor1Art Gnllery were valued a (Miss Hlll I were normal $1 mllilon f~~ut\~~ In nny orgnn-) Bit· Leo 0 n sold the ru I These• mntters hnd been l~a"cl"~:ei~n~e ~rc~l'~t::~~ 5 f 1 1111necessnrlly publlclsed by a \'erv smnfi teacup, be Irresponsible r,co111r . lcnuse it was never lntcnde Robert Ronni< Richard to ··ell It Ferguson, 22, lnborer, orl ·• · ,New Zenlnnd . ts contesting The only time t.hnt wa a chnrgc of hn1·lng broken mentioned was 18 mon th and entered the Art Oalle- ngo, nt a meeting or th ry and stolen the painting trustees. be~:;;~\t~nel.5 n,m~~ecl to 1 One word ha\'e handed !he pnlntlng f l\!rs. Rubin gnve cvtdenc lo Mrs. Julie Eleanor Rn- 'thnt she spoke one word t bin , widow of Mr. Hnrold n nmn when he hnndcd he R ubin, a t her home 111 the pnlntl11r, at her hom Gnrltclcl Drive, Pnddlng- on June 11. ton. . I The man hnd his hn Mr. Rubin presented the r,1111,•n over his eyes whc paintIng to the ~ullerr. ,c rnng her frolll door bcl Police nllrge thnt Fcrgu- nt IO p.m . ri1~ 1 rl~~l d~v~ 1 j~~klli1~)~:;:~cl~~ He nskcd her to keep U1 bush country nt K<1 llnngur painting for 30 clllys, nn nnd Mt. Nebo, nenr Brts- 1 not to tell the police. /bane. She s11ld "Yes," nnd took 1 Sir Leon Trout told the the 1>nlntlng tnslde. c h I c r pc.diet.• pro~ccutor Ti~c mnn Jen t.hc vcr- - . l;\~1':;, ~)~~ ~~'jr~1~1. pnlni- Dctectlvcs called nl her home with a scn.rch war– rnnt next mornt11i:: nnd took the Picasso. MI'S, Rubin snlcl she could not ldrntify tile mutt wlto 1Jrougl1 L it to her. He had 110L n~k •cl for money. 1 l\Jrs. Rubin ncrecd thnt ,up 1.0 11 ,e t.ime lhe del1•c• tlvcs cnmc she had not COlilUCICd t h em "Wide open" D,•1ect11·c Sen ior-Ser gcnnt ,I, _l\'lcSporrnn t.ol 7\ir. \Vn t.°'011 It would b rnm,t cllff1c1111 Lo rl b posc 0 tl11' pal11tl11g. He ni;:rci1c 1Jin1 r lu• r h.•n1c-11t o f' per ·011:ll proli t did llOl co111 11110 IL 01 nil . He ng-rr('d, lr ll1·c1·l11g ii ·C>rgu:,,011 !,net \\' I c1 r , OJ)l' II ~o ,m~stl>lt ld 1 •11tltkn1icm by Mr~ n:, 11 hill, ttllc-1 I.IHI! ll1t"r c IHI( brt•11 011 ntt r mpL tn protcc llw pnl11t111g Tllr ltPnrl11g wnt, u1ir11i:d 1111UJ tndnv.