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

"CHRONICLE" Toowoomba, Qld. l 13 JUL19~( "CHRONICLE" PAINTING HIDDEN IN BUSH, COURT TOLD BRISBANE, Wednesday. - A $200,000 Picasso painting had been hidden, covered with blankets, in bush country, the Magis– f ,~foowoo,mba, Qld. 1~~ /4x;;~ I '- JU o intent~on to sell painting, Sir Leon says trates Court was told today. A Younr New Zealander not questioned him. She ad then returned It to Mra, appeared too frightened . Ulle Rubin at her home. He told Mrs. Rubin (whose e had told Mrs. Rubin, husband donated the pulnt– hom he did not know, to Jng lo the art gallery) to eep It a month, then re- keep the painting a month, urn lt to the art gallery, then reluru It to the art He Is alleged to have told gallery, tectlve Senior-Sergeant J. Ferguson Is contesting a cSporran: "I was satlslled chnrge or having broken e public did not appreciate and entered lho Queensland the painting, so I decided Art OaUe1·y and stolen the to ·steal Jt." painting, the La Belle Hol– be fornutlly obJeclfng to the record o/ lnto1·vlew being admitted ns evidence on the grounds thnt lt hnd not been obtained in accordance with the crlmlnal lnw Act re– lating lo confessions. The real lest WOUid be left to the higher court. BRISBANE, Thursday. - Sir Leon Tro~t said at the Picasso painting theft charge hearing today that from the outset a 'rumour that it was proposed to sell La Belle Hollandaise hod been untrue. He said the appointment or a new director of the 1u-1 gallory and reprimand or the assistant director (1111s1 11111) were normal routine In any orsanJ1a– llon, Sir Leon, president of the gallery trustees, told Mr. Baker, S.M., this In the Magistrates Court. The hearing was ad– journed until tomorrow. Robert Ronald Richard Ferguson, 22, labourer, of New Zealand, I.a contesting a charge of having broken and entered the art gallery nnd stolen the painting on Senior-Sergeant McSpor– ran said Robert Ronald Richard Ferguson (22l, lab– ourer, had told him : "I was 8'olng to keep the palntlni myself for my own satis– faction." landaise, valued at $200,000. Senior-Sergeant McSpor– rnn told Mr. R. s. Watson (defence solicitor> that Fer– guson's fnther had told him his son frequented RrL gal– lr.ries in New Zealand. Fer8'uson had said he had hidden the painting, wr&pPe<f In blankets, Jn bu.shes, ftrat at Petrie, then at Mt. Nebo. He flnall7 returnect the Palntllilr to Mrs. Rubin. He said s. Rubin hid About midnight In a record of Interview, read to the court, Ferguson had told Senior-Sergeant McSporran he had stolen ·the painting: nbout midnight on June 5-6. He had climbed on workmen's sea/folding and entered through a window. •'TIMES" Asked If he hnd Intended to permanently deprive the owners of the Plcnsso, he had said: "Yes, I did, and It was not until some days later that I changed my mind." Ferguson said he began to think It WI!;; not fair to the widow of the man ho had donated the paint- ing. On the next Sunday (June 11) he hnd taken It o Mrs. Rubin's home, and e told her to keep It for month and return It. Senior-Sergeant McSpor– an said that on June 12 he ad executed a search war– rant at Mrs, Rubin's home. The painting was found In a bedroom, · On June 24 Fergu.son was located In a flat at Mar– ple, •a Brisbane bayalde resort. Mr. Watson said he would C.nberra, A.C.T. i.W4 (., :.,/}J,vJ f,'-Cl).4./ / No burglar alarm at Picasso theft scene . BRISBANE, Friday.- •he had resigned from the Mr, Rubin had presenied A witness told Mr Baker, gallery as from Aua!1,1 I. the Picasso to lhe aallery. SM, today, there was no Roher! Ronald Rrchard Mr Baker said he was burglar alarm in !he sec- Fergu~on, 22 · labourer, o{ sa1isfied a prima facie case lion of !he Que~ New Zealand\ conirned a of siealing had been eslnh, Art Gallery from which charge of having h 1 r O k b ~ lishcd. He com!"illcd Fer– ..--: . . _ and entered 1hc gal ery e gnson 10 rhe d151rrcr couri ~ raolo Picasso paint lwecn June 5 ~nd 6, and criminal sillings ,rarring on ing was stolen. stolen the l)•rnuna, La July J 1. He was allowed The assisiant director of Belle '! 011 " nd arse. bail wilh n Sl.000 surely. the allery, MiH Robin He •• alleged ,ro_ have . . H'll ~ Id 3 defending sol- handed . the parntrng _to Today Mr« H,11 rol_d Mr . 1 • 0 h. Mr< Juhe Eleanor Rubin. WaL,on she had r«1gnccl These matters had been unnecessarily publicised, he snld, by lri-esponslble 1>eople. June 5 or June 6, Fergu.son Is alleged to Q UEENSLAND A,t Gal- lery Dlrecto,r IMr. James Wi1n1k1 I l1 ad– opting a walt-end- • ee policy obout the Hie of the Moreton .~rlu. Mr. Wleaelle'e appoint– ment as n,,Oaller.v dir– ector ""'' coriftrmed last J une subject to a written unde1taklnK bv him to the trustees Lhat he would try to dispose of the Moreton Galleries In ti months. He Is director or the Moreton Galleries. M1·. Wieneke said ycs– tcrda:t: "The buyer ,ha&n ·t come up yet.'' • He said he would "wait 1111111 the day" before dc– cldlnl{ what to do~the el'cn t of being u _, to sell the Moreton Q enes. 'Come lat•~' •::rheae are thlngsf 'that wllt llave lo come up later,'', he said. Mr: Wieneke hns been In his Job as Queensland Art Galfcrv Dh'eclor slnQII ep- tembei- 4 l~!t y • He dcscrllJ!'!I, , as "more,. than en ard wo1·1t." But It w ork- ln~1?nt\V~~1c'f:'~d. went to Toow'oomba IRS(, \\•eek ror the opening of 1111 exhibi– tion or En~ll•h • at Toowoomba Art He said this rlrst time suclT, a had been hel~ woomba. "We will assl . we will assl.~t 11 snict. • Mr. Wieneke · ' t11e paintings, by Ena , art- ists. were part of· an Art Gallery scheltle to 11SSISt . countrv towns. . He said hp hoped some– ' thin~ could be done to l effect chan~cs In the nre- sent Art Gallery, hnve handed the painting to Mrs. Julie Eleanor Rubin, widow of Its donor, the late Major Harold B. Rubin, at her home In Brl.abane. Sir Leon told the Chief Police Prosecutor <Detec– tive Inspector W. D. Simp– son) that the PIC&.'150 was Insured for $200,000 with the Insurance Company of North America. Sir Leon told Mr. R. s. Watson (defence solicitor) t,hat the paintings In the art gallery were valued at •1.000,000. He told Mr. Watson the nmoured aale or tbe Plc– UIO bad been a creat storm In a very • mall teacup, be– cause It waa never Intended to sell It. Mrs. Rubin gave evidence that she had spoken only one word to a man when he handed her the painting at her home on June 11. H asked her to keep the paint Ing for 30 daya and not tell the police. She sal "Yes," and took the paint lnr Inside. She put It I her bedroom, Next morning police calJ ed at her home with search warrant and took th Plcaaso. She said she could Identify the man wh brought It to her, He ha not asked for any mone Mrs. Rubin arreed that u to the time the police cam she had not contacted th Detective Senlor-Sergean J , McSporran told Mr, Wa son It would be most dlffl cult to cllspocn u! t,he pain Ing, He agreed t?ia•. the ele meat of personal profit did not arlae, He also agreed thnt In de– livering It personally, Fel'gu son had left hlm.~elf wld open to possible ldentlflca tlon by Mrs. Rubin: an there had been nn attemp to protect the painting, The hearing was adjourn ed until tomorrow. - ' l..c. ' M.lbourn•, Vic. 1 r. . ,J L,., ,.., t. ""t.> •. w.£e/ U c .... - "- cilor 1 1 ' · 11 idow of Mr Mn r o Id because of 1rouble she h:icl l\fiss HIii told the sol- Rubin, al her Brisban, had with Sir Leon Trou1. icitor: Mr R.· S. Warson, home on June 11. 11residrnr c,f lhe rrrrsrr.e,. L-------:-----------=-:-==---=--=~:::::--::::::------1 THE~POP-UP PICASSO I I hie! look a $200,000 ~RISBANE.-W 1 Y R I Qucenslnncl Art P icasso pnlntlng from t;/~cfl It In t he hom e Gallery cl~ht cl1n1Y• nMg0,./"rulle Rubin Is stlll n of Bris bane w c ow · · • m yste r y , . . 1 . ·lonrr o r Queensland The A~LIIF,i,: /f'[\\~~~;c I dlsclosecl ycstercln,Y Police <M1 . · n c t1 from Mrs. Rubin-~ Urnt police tood~ th n~J~!~lu:~ecl It to the gallery home on Mon • 1 Y on Tues dlnly.U nt "at this tim e we hn~? no cl'I- Hc sn c 1 • 1 nri:c an y person . dcn cc_ onRwbli;t'w~:o~e\rnsbanci ~ave t h e pa lnUn.~ Ml s. u • l the gallery snld yc.~tcr. LR Belle Hollandaise ~e nrrlvecl n't h er· hmnr <lny that betgr\,fr~~~ll she hncl not clccldccl with n scare he inlntln~. wlrnt to do wi th l ltelYI cmbnrrnssecl when I.he "l WAS com e . 1 d b tore I hnd made up my mind." pnl~r ai~t~~ln seald a mnn arrived nt her house 1 t ?·st Sunday night with the Picasso and ~k°ed ~,er to keep It for a month before return- Ing It to the gallery. d 1 ..1 had It In my bedroom the n ext ny w 1cn police arrived . It t t1 ..1 think I would have hnnded over ?, , 1e police If they had noL cnllcd a t my home, she saltr Rubin could not describe the man or the c lothe~· he wns wearing. He was not nnyonc s he knew. I 1 She did not ask the man w 10 1c wa, or where he got Lire painting or nny other q ues tions. 11 L B JI " My main lntcrc., t \VAS In RN . llJ: a e C HollnnclnlRC bnck and that wM nll n, far ns I was concerned," , he sa id.