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

d.! !.J ·, i:- -, Cairns, Qld. -~-~ , 7 :: 1 VERDICT OF NOT GUILTY IN THE PICASSO CASE l'JRISBANE, Tues.-A District Court jury to-night found• labourer not guilty of I charge of brHk!ng and OIJ' oring the , Quccnsl.an., Art Gallery · and stealing the $200,000 Pic1110 painting, "L• Belle Hollandaise." 1'ho Jury found 1hr I inLn Ill!' Al'l Ga .J.:ry ul man, Hobert Ronald 11ight and tnkin:; lhc Pie- Richard f'erl'Ullun f221, m;so. of JI\ e11· Zea hand, ~uUb 1 Of the ··••ndary •h•«• Give it back or unln·full, damarlnr I a windo•• frame durlnr But he clHimcd he nl– hl• •nlry lo lho rall•ry wuys hncl intencl<'d Lo give on or about. June 8. the painting- bnck. Juel~• Tai·lor laile I Fcr~uson told . lhf! Jm·y F , . ' pie took the pn,ml:iij IJe- cr~uson ~or three month~. cause he hnd remJ in the Scntenc1:1J,? . Fcri.:mmn, uaJ>cr there wns a lot ur ~UdJ.(c Tnylor :mi.~ he mµSl trouble nt the Art Oallt:r v ,1ct on lh~ JurJ s ~,_crd1ct. among the trustees. ~:;i ti~r ~tti~-~~/"~~o'::~ He said, "I didn't lhln_k 1·cusonnblc doubt that Fer- they appreciated the pain,. guso11 had stolen the ~~ferebet1iac~ewJr/~'g, 11 ~•~~ r,atnt111µ ,~ UJRt he, 111• sell t,he Pica.sso", . ct.t~cd to P~.1 mnncnth . dr: Ferguson sold he did not or" e the ~allery trustee. Lake Lile pointing to keep 'i./fs Honour said thnt In It, hlmsclr. He guve ll back lxln·~ sentence he had lo r:~~u1!'el~t lu~1 :n.~\t or ·cgard the orre:-ice o! · •hich Fcr~uson wns con• victed 111 its surroundlnu. circun,stancci•L Honuur :;nicl h ~ / would act upon the hilsh of acccptinu f'rr:msnn·.s • stRtcd reasons for cnterinJ.: the builrlinµ. It wns clear that Ferguso:1 was well awnre at Ute time, if not or the alleged v•lue or the ri~a~h~fan?r~c~~~l~~reut ar- Fcr~uson's motlvr Cot rntry into the Art Gallen nnd accorctingJy, dnmn~e to the wi:ldow frame. wc1s to take the pRintinc in d rcumstanccs which cnulcl not fail lo lconordise the oainting's ph~·!-ilcal saie:.,·, conslcierin~ thc~c foct~. Hi~ Honour snid he felt ohll oed lo impose a ea·>I ~e!1tCllCC· The Crown nlleged Fer– guson climlJed up scuffold– lng to get throu"h a win– dow. took the painting out of Its frame and t.id it in bush nt spots """r Red-' cllfrc and Mt. Nc~o Then he lcfl it "'ith ~,lrs. Jul:c R111Jl11 widow or Hnrold Rubin, the man who had l(iven the J)ICtllre to Ille Art Gnllery. ,· ': ,, ' I "COURIER MAIL" Brisbane, 0 . .· ,.lt.>' j ,ll,vj /,',,.,t.j ,; .,., .. : ., OF DAMAGE ... ' 1 ·TY ,,1 1 1 -#\ . .... ,1. Man with "La Belle" is jailed for 3 months A DISTRICT Court jury last night found a laborer not guilty of a charge of having broken ond entered the Queensland Art Gallery ond stolen the $200,000 Picasso painting La Belle Hollondaise. The jury found the mon, Robert Ronald Richard Fergu • on, 22, of New Zealand, guilty of the • econdary charge of having unlawfully damaged a window frame during hi • entry into the Gallery on or about June 6. The crown alleged Fer• Judge Taylor jailed or damaging n window iiuson climbed Ull scaffold- Ferguson for three frame was R trlflin'( one. ~~Vio~~t tl1~r~,i:.'f~u~g"'6'~t months. wo~l~ ~f 11 ~~~ f~~d bas~= of tis frame nnd hid It In The Jury, which retired of accepting 11 Ferguson's ~tl1re a!n~P 0 kh. n~~bo~ed– at 6 p.m., returned at stated reasons for enter• Then he left It with 7.30 p.m. and told His In!? the bulldl1111. Mrs. Julie Rubin, widow Honour they could not Significance or Harold Rubin, t he man aaree. Bent back to the who had given the plc– ury rooma, the iury re- It was clear t:,at Fer11- ture to the Gallery. d~~ed at 8.30 wit a ver- m:tu::Su 'ri~l ottt.;: a~~ In an unsworn state- The crown Proaecutor leged value of the oalnt- ment from the dock yes– <Mr. H. w. O'Dea), glVlng Ing, then of Its 1:reat arlls• terdav 1 , Ferguson admit• ihe court Ferguson's tic sl1:nlflcance. te;l c lmbln11 Into the Art 1ackground, snld Ferguson Ferguson',; motive tor Gallery at night and tak• fl' s or avernge lnte!II- entry Into the Arl Gallery Ing the Picasso. 1r ,ce and mentality. and accordlnely lo dama11e But. he claimed. he at- His Honour said that the window frnme. was Lo ways had Intender! to give could be an arguable take the oalntlni:,: In cir• the palntlnl! bnck. point. numstances which could Ferguson told the Jury 0 di t not foll to 1cooardlse the he took the painting he- n Ver C oalntlni::'s olivslcal safety cause he had read In the Sentencing Ferguson Considering these facts. paper there was n tot or Judge Taylor said he must His Honour snld, he felt trouble at the Art Gal· act on t.lie Jury's verdict. obliged to !moose a Jail lery nmong the trustees. The Jury It was as- sentence. He snld : "I didn't think: aumed was not satisfied His plea they appreciated Lhe beyond reasonable doubt painting because I also that Ferguson had stolen Ferguson pleaded not read where they were .,go- the painting In thnt he 11ullty to charges of hav- ln1t to sell the PlcR&So. Intended permnnenlly to 1111! broken and entered the Ferguson said he didn't deprive the gallery trus• 11allery on or about June take the painting to keep tees or IL. · 6 and havlni:,: stolen the It himself. His Honour said rlint 111 ~~intl~i~i.~~~ 11 ~,tsod~~:tict CONTINUED ON rtxln ~ scnt,cnce he had to a "'indow franie. PAGE THREE regerct the offence of which Ferguson was cnn– vlcled In Its surrounding circumstances. Sydney, N.S.W. Inmate :\T I.E:\ST 1:11.1· fl! i"'ll!T i11 B, i, 11;1111''1\ _l~ 11 i.:c 1 : 1_{ 0 ad ,1a d .. 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