Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 4 : Presscuttings, November 1967 - June 1972

Toowoomba, Qld. ;> 0 . . • I QfiR OF PLACE MUSEUM ART OUT IN THE BRISBAN E.-There was just no getting away from it. For days the argument raged about our Art Gallery, housed on the ground floor and in the attics and basements of the Museum. This accommoda tion, according to the critics, was a more titli ng resting place for the skulls and other bones of on ancient age than the canvases hung betore a com– mun ity said to be art conscious if given a proper chance . E\'Cll i! ont:•~ H .. '\. ...Ol'!QllOn wllh Hl'l d1ct nut ~o m 11d1 beyond II rtt.-,unl ~lurlf'e :11. •'t :H.ag aL Bay'' 111 hOnlo ij o o t t Is h grand111other's p•rlour or "The Two Horses," gambol1111g on ,111 English moor Lhl'Clltcnert with rain cloud , one h•d Lo take notice or the r olumns w1·1tte11 about ouJ Al'L 011llrry. 'l'hts Art Gallery '(Ill• ta Ins about $1.~50.000 worth or paint.Inge, but was not up to much when it. came to wall spa c fn1 hanging Lhc:;c l rcns11 rc.':i said the rrll lcs. Apparently the Art O a l· lcry staggers along un • gran t or 524,000 1ro111 the Stat,c Government., and thl.1 has been classllled os a "pittance" on which no aallery could wax lilt 01 aaln world renown. Just as battllna artists the world over h ave Lo s111·vlve on lrugttl persona l budgets In various gone~, . the Queenaht.nd Art Gal– lery Trust finds llsclC In an Impoverished fmanclal poaltlon. Three monl hs l\110 Its accounts wr1·e $3000 OVCI' t he budget, The Art Oullery I l'IISICCS nrc u•lng such rorthrlQht terms n.s ·•ugcd," "de– crepit," and "unfit to con– tain a rortune In paint– ings" to describe 1110 rooms tenanted by Lhc rnls, wa ter roluurs and :,kel t llr~. Outspoken ll wu:, Prorr.-,.-.,or Bcrn;11 rt Srrnt h, Protc:s:-ior of Con – tcnqx:,rary A1·t nnd a Dti-cclor or the Powrr lnslltule uf F'111e An~. Sydney Uni\'er~itY. who renlly let Uy AL our Art Onller)'. He was i1, town to judge 1111lnlings In the H . C. RlchnrrLi, :\1rmonal ArL Prize. BIil bccHuse lherc wnsn't cnm:i::h 9- 1 all spocc a t Lill' J:.Hllcry only abm1L m1r-1,hln l ot the cntnr~ L'Olllrl hr h1mg. P rn! C'S."UI S111111t :-.:drt It \\'II!-. n prt•tt y poor kettle of r,sh u1nd we'd like to oce M}IIICOllO put 1,hKl Oil <..llll– VllS :;ome duy I when 0 11 lmportnnt occasions people \\'('l'C JlOI nblr LO .':ICf' the best the gnllery had to oft et' hctn use thcrr wns nnt c11ough room ror all the pa i11t1ngs uva1lablc. Sal 1Mled that 1.111, w11s the lime nnd place ,,, paint wllh broad strokes, !he prnrc~ OI ~U icl lL \\'RS clcn r thnt. uround lhC' turn or thr century R Stn tc Cim·e1·11111~nt wns 111 U•1C::,lt'ct tn l,hc IU'IS a.net had de• clded 10 rlo somethi11 g a 1 Jo11t. them. Malnourished Slncn IJICJ\, h OWl'\'CJ', things hnd been a llowed lU sliclc, ~air\ lhc JJl'0I C!-S0I". 'l'oclay Liley ,,·err wccciy nnd 111alt1otirl:·d1ccl, nnd , 111 n scn:-.c, ~uffcring from c111t 11rnl rickets. " I t's U~l to ,\'Ol1 pt·oplr – the nr11sts nnd the a n lm – crs or t111:-. s 1u1c - to do :-iomrt.111111! nbout t hrrn,'' sn1d Prnreh:,tu· Sm it II, wllo Jll'r:--cntcct l he I 1rst pI·l1.c In 1l1c compctilinn to n pa l11 tlni.: Cll litlrd. " 'l'hr Colt111rlr1·.' cn1crcrl by New ✓.rnlnnrler, Mlclll\cl S mither. "The Colnndrr" Is ex– Rl'tl,\' WhR L it l'IRY.'i It. l.'l– RI'\ ordln:1ry klldtcn u l en- 1 ,'-ii Cl111lHll llllg ll fC\V hrnk••n r,::g ~:hrl !!,, f' l'11Jt,..... "!fll' ,i111 1tl1 hll lri It, wns just. a11 f"\'f'ryrlny k1lchr11 utcn:-11. hut. Lhe S\l'I 1st llud 1?1\·cn ll a i,tlot\', r111rl t h1:-- wa.-. im – rortn nt in t'll't. Frustrated I A;\!1r, 1~·:i1:.\'~:ma; n 1.~l !~If;. I LNm T r, 1t11 ; \\' 1:-. rJ,:.: h t nn I Prorr-.,..,nr R11111h ~ .-.!e1e. '1'!1r lllil jf'l'l l ~' or I l'IJ. (('f'S tr lt rn1.-.tr11 1rct , bo111 l1 1r 1nnrl11 1n11 nf 1hr p.allcn·, ~idrl :-ilr l.~t)!l "T l1r cnl · lrn· 1:- hnpr\l',..,..,; t IWl"P Ju.:,t l:-1 '1 r 11.i11c. l1 :,.pnr1· " ~.r 1 f'1111 -.11 ;rl 111:it hll· n11d11 v 11 •1rt L11 l- c·1md It tl"t'\I m: I II I llt' IJUllcilJ\I,! '\•' II• f' llri,11n.!1' 11t1C t1 1 $1 :::.nnon \\nrt l1 0! p n lrdllH!:,, 111,tl\\ ,11 \\h \1·h hnd 10 lw -.11111 11 In :\11 111111' Ill 11111-.; •,n.-..11ll:.f111·– tOl ~ r 1 1nrh ,,: ThC't'l' p.it: · 1 \.!,.., \\ 1111'11 IHl \'fl lo hr :-,lnrrrt nnw nncl 111111!1 tn 11111k1• 1nrnn 1,,r ol ht' l,..,, illt'l\lrir l llC' Art pndr ~ 110 _ln,v, · 1,,. Bel l~ llol- 1a.n rla 1 <'," nr ' T he 'l'or,k~ One." J\ls t to 5how hm\' th lna5 ~. r !nc!mr rt t,1 r un on nnrt 011. snmr budy cla11nr rt that a fonnr r Prem lc.r nr Queensla nd, lhe late Mr. W . Forgnn Sm1th, hnd promised t.he city • new art ~:illcry. Benefactors The Jr ttcr wrttcrs wrrr 11,·t.1\'c, and fihowrd 1 lwy \\'r rc no es., a11~ry than Prnf<'.,"lor f;mllh . One lf'ttrr writ.tr :--nld our Art. GKllrry nrrdcd brn~fac .. 111r,.,, nlld t.hnt lenders o( 1nelt1~try and commerce should hel p with money. Anothrr lctl cr writer said tha t t-00 m any rich, borrd mothers sent too m1111y unLnlcntcd dnu~ht· ers Lo the Art School. T hc.,e, !l was said, crowded cln.sses with the result that talented art st udcnls rlld 1101 ~CL the best In· ~1r111·t.lon. A ncwspl\JlCr sent a re• )lrll'lCI' lo the An G nllcry nn A Sunday Hflr rnnnn. 1t11ct ho 6Alrt he SR\\' pcr– h•1~, a score or people thrrr. Most or Ihese aeemed 10 be sutls lh'rl 10 squint and pRSS ad\'erse Judgmcn t 01 1 the more ! nntn,.;Llc nbstrn.cts, h e rc– porterl. T he Actl n~ r remlcr •Mr. ChRlkl :;Rid hr. had inltlaled nn lnvesl.lgatlon Into the rutu re or the Art Gnllery. This inveMLh;n- 1!011 relnterl to thr. $24,000 ,::rR11L by u,c G overnmcnL "nd po.,slb!y II new •ltc. Whal he thinks There·• really no need ror us to reel depressed 1,y nil !h is argument nbout our Art Gallery. Yo11 muy take the word or • Polish-born sn llor <Ga pt.n ln J . Sokalskl) who ~11icl In BrlsbRIH! ltrn t Ausw·::. lla w n~ "n very pll'a:,,:tn l surprl!-if'" t.o h \111. "P1•ople in Europe told mr t.hi !L Aust.l'nllans arr 1111ctllL111'N1. 11nr1vlll!ird and loud," he said. "Cul• tul'r l You have more cul– lure here 1,..ha.11 h1 most. plac,,.~ 111 Europe. What I eh f111ct ls Au,,,;tral\R ns han~ n com plex itbOIIL ad· m!l lln~ It." We're 1101, i:nlng Lo spoil lhHL parngrnph b)' RSklnQ lhe Capi a1n H hr. had been 10 our Al'L Gallery.