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

Canberra, A .C .T, -Crown 111ay appeal BR!SBA NE, Wednesday. $200,000 Pica,,o r ainting. - The Crown would con• The jury found Ferguson sider an appeal against the ~uilty of havin_g unlawfully jury's verdict in the La damaged a w111do':" frame Belle Hollandaise case, the during his entry into the Mini~ter for Justice, Dr gallery on or about June 6. Delamothe, said today, and he was ,..ntenced to Last night a District three months' gaol. Court jury found Rohcrt Ferguson !'leaded Ronald Richard Fergu,on, gu1lly to both charaei. 22, not guilty of a charge Dr D~lalf!othe said he of having broken and was looking into the ap!"al entered the Queen~land M rositinn and . a deci•ioo G~ry and ~the was likely within a week. Sydney, N.S.W. '1. AUG 1961 NOT GUILTY OF$200,000 ART THEFT A Brisbane jury has found a man not guilty on a charge ol stealing the $200,000 ,Picasso painting La Belle Hollandaise. ' The man Is Robert Ron– ald Richard Ferguson 22, of New Zealand. · He WllS charged with steallng the pa 1 ntlng from the Queensland Art Oal– Jery on or about June 6. The Jury found him guilty on a second charge of unlawfully damaging a window frame during his entry to the Gallery. Judge Taylor sentenced him to three months' Jail. .Jt~nJurrte.."i 1 f:,~ a~td : ria1f hour deliberation told ~~~e{urfee dti~te~ 0 ~~ntf~ continue their delibera– tions and a verd 1 ct was entered at 8.30 p.m. Judge Taylor said alter the verdict that he must ~~ J~r~ 1 ew~~~cirt~~~1!R:J beyond reasonable doubt that Ferguson had stolen t:~~ p~y~~~~~ ~rn~~~~ll~~ lo deprive the gallery tri.i; 1 \~esJu':i'geits 5 .rJ•~~••~!',j ~~!~e ~~ri~! 0 i1m~'. 15 11 ~~/ or the alleged value of the pa'ntlng, at least that lt had great artlsllc slgnifl– cancc. Ferguson's motive for entry Into the art gailery and acordlngly damage Lo the window frame was to ~t~st~~1~ef" 1 ~t~?lb JncocJf ci not fail to Jeopardise the paint•ng•s physical safety. co~~l!fc~1n~ail~:se5'}~dcts 1h t~~ felt obliged to impose a Jail sentence. \ - FINANCE: 44 45 Appeal to be considered The Cro"'·n ,nmld 1•onsldt>r nn appt>11I 111,(alnst tl • e J • r,·'s n•rdh•t In tht> l,11 Ht•llt> lloll1111d11i,-.• 1•11s1•, 1111.• Jns• tlel' tulnlsh•r. ltr. Ut•h1111oll11•. s11ld lo tn,·. Lns t night a Dls - 1stolen ti1e $200.000 1 Dr. Uc lamothe said trlct vourt Jury Pica sso painting . 1 today that h e was fou d R b t R Id The Jury found looking into the a11- n ° .,er · ona 1•'erguson gullly of lp e al positio n n ncl a Ric hard rerguson, 22. having unlaw fully d ec is io n wa s like ly of New Zealand. n o t 1clam::fgccl a wlnclow 1 with!LJ u wee k . guilty of n cha r g e o r\ framc during his e ntry ,\n y nppl'nl will be having broken u nct /lnto thl' Gallrry un or 111:1clP Lu thf' Court or entered the Quee n s- about Jnn c ti. aml (; r i111i11:1 I AppP:1 I. land Art Gnllerya nd Judge 'l'uyior Jnllrct I.a n,,ac llotla11d- • J 1111111 tor t luce months aist, today Wl'tll h :11·k l•'l'rg uson pleucled i on dls11lay at the not g uilty to bot h Gallery. c harges. \ The 11 r w i y - :i p- Jucl!(e T ny io r sai d point.eel Dirrc toi· or • that _h P_ m11st act o n th e Gallrrv. Mr. J . Ii'. thr, JttrYs vPrclic t. lw1 ,• 11r kc. ins pec t eel It 1hc J11ry. it wa s b!'l'orr· 1: wc 11t on uss umrcl. was n n t , h uw . sutts ficcl b e v on et rrusonaolc ctoubi. t h n t H l' saict t h e pa i1i Ii n g l•'erg11so11 hncl s to le n 11:trl brrn r r<'Pivrd the pnl111i11 ~ 111 Urnl IJnek lrom till' pui iee he I 11 L r 11 c1 f' cl ea rl .'· toclay. l pc r111n11 r111 1.'· 10 cl<' - 1.nt r r lt 11111.! il l be privr Gall e ry t ru s lt•~, lakrn clow n for 1 or It. n •stor:tlin11 purpos r s . Toowoomba, Qld, r ,_ _. 1 ~t)./J. I jj ,)JJV., ) . . - \.,u FOUND NOT GUJLTY OF PICASSO THEFT BRISBANE, Tuesday. - A District Court jury tonight found a labourer not guilty of a charge of breaking and entering the QueenslQJld At.t_Gall~ry and stealing the $200,000 Picasso paint– ing La Belle Hollandaise. Howe,•er, the Jury found the man, Rob<rt Ronalll Richard Ferguson, 22, of New :l'..ealand, 1ullly of the sec– ontlary char1e of unlaw– h. ,,J damaging a window frame during his entry lo the callery on or about June 6, Brisbane, O suid he must act on the jury·s verdict. The J111·y, it was nssumed, was not snllsfied beyond rensonable doubt thnt Fer– gu.son had stolen the pnlut– lng ln tlrnl. he Intended to perm:ull'ntly deprive the gallery trustees or it. His Honour said thnt ln fixing sentence he had to rcgnrd the offence or which Ferguson was convicted In Its surrounding circum– ; t,nnces. Unnssoclnted, the offence of damaging a win– dow frame was a trllllng one. His Honour said he would net upon the basis or ac– cepting Ferguson's stated reasons for entering the building. It was clear that Ferguson was well aware at the time, U not of the alleged value or the painting, of its great artistic slgnlll– cancc. Ferguson's motive for entry Into the art gallery and acco1·dlngly, damage to the window frame, wn.s lo take the paillLlng Jn circum– stances which could not !nil to Jeopardise the palntlng·s physical suleiy. Considering these !acts, his Honour said, he felt obliged to impose a Jail sentence. HID IN BUSH The Crown alleged Frr– r;uson cilmbed up scaffold– lnr; to 1ct through a win– dow, took the palntlnr out or Its frame, and hid lt In bu., h at •pots near Red– cllffe and lift. Nebo, · Then he left Jt with Mrs. Julie Rubin, widow of Hnrold Rubin, the man who had given the picture to the nrt gallery. In an unsworn statement from the dock, Ferguson said he climbed Into the art galiery at night and took U1e Plca&&0: but ·he claimed he always had Intended to give the painting back. Ferguson told the Jury he took the painting because he had read ln the paper there was a lot of trouble at the art gallery among the trustees. He said : "I didn't think they appreciated the paint– ing, because I at&O rend where they were going to sell the Picas.so." Ferguson said he did 9ot take the painting tolep It for hl sell. He ga lt bnck an went to a ot of trouble o look after it. Brisbane, 0 . ,'.' La ljelle" wronged? (< ).\:I :1: ,\ TI ' I.ATIO.\:!', I n l h~ _111dg,•. h11 I hri• ldmt ~ to t fl ..., ;11 n · in '" •· r n 11,-· ,. ' ,r ·' , i1 11n l,: ' ,· 1111, ·1 lli'IIJ'li' '\ :1 \ ol ·•1r 1•11'\ ·,. \ r 1d11, ,• 111 I 11 111''11'' .f ,tu11111•, , '.,!'!II .\J a ,•, f t\ 111pif•,