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

• Tl,e Q11eer111l1md Gover11• ,,.,,,,, l1111 •et "'' a t•om• ,,, ill Pp '" ;,,,,,,ir#! ;,,,., ,,,,,,,, /11r II IIPII' ()11PP111l11111I .4rt (;11IIPr)', llnP, 1/,,, flltllny' • 1lirPf'l11r. }t1111P11 1r·;,,11Pkr PX• 1 ,ltti,u 11·11 .,· 1111r ,"ilttlP 111 l1111lly 111•r1/11 t/1i1 t•lfltlfrttl t'PlllrP, WHY do we need an Art Gallery in Queensland? Firstly we must have an Art Gallery becaus£ we have never had a real one, and it i1 high time we were abl• to shed this stigma. In lhiR day and al(e a 1e11llen· iN a fund11• further? Moro mone1 ap· IRU!nlnl and neces.<1ary trust, and a m "J I des!rable ::r re:~rl"yol~m~•r:r•:~:.~ lnslruml'n! in human 1mciely, 11'11 reHponsih!litieM :~:i.:~:ardt:~~~~~ are ,... and function are more necessary and dt's1rable What do we ha,•e In place todnr than erer hefore, of an Art Gallery In this 1·1s- 11 1~ a repository !or ihe approval. a1>1>r•clatlon, and ~~ul~a/~o~nc~n~~~t':d ~~~lri q~,l:it ~ i~d=,;; 1 d 1 ;;f~~r.; • 1~ 1~ 11~~; a f~adl:,~;~;~,. l?68. Sir hall. mctert some 7O-octd al.lalnment., In the visual Jo.hua neyno~d•. llrst pre•!• 1·earsl •~10. lnconwrudous amdl dent or 1he Royal Academr comp e1 e J' ou1date . an a.rlR of pa~l nnd prl :e;<'nt and ~nld Rt I.he Ol"H!lllnJ.:: merlin~ : with a vast arra or UIHl~Rblc i~~•i~ei~['Yb~~~~1i/~~Jh~nJ~;): "A n academy In wl,ich thr spare beloved or the pl~eo11 m e 111 w 111 brcomr 111 - 110litc Ar! &may br cultl\'a trd ~~n~~1cp~~d Of h rr noxiou~ CRlcUIRble to each and every ~ af biSI openccl ,unn1tg~I 11 ~ For 39 YE-ars lhls ha~ bern person when n llrln~. vit al ~-I 11 '!, 0 rij~~a:'1~~• 1~i~~tin\~)! the "tem1>orary" homo In t,~~11::::1m~rfPg}atg~r ~af1~ highest degree lntere.ilns r~~lttalt~ 11;r~':ii1e~~l~nl.11¥11~: Ille. not only to the artists but to locatlon Is unsultAble, lncon- Wilh lncre..lng numb•ra seeking secondary and t,,r– tlary education the patlern ol modem llberal education has broadened and changed l'astly since 1he days, not so Ion~ ago. \\'hen one rarely hea rd thr word• "Art Gal– lery · · mentioned In A Queensland school. l he whole nation." 1·enlent with numerous di•• Sir Joshua proceeded to •dvant • ges. and now rapidly ~~~1:tha3bJ:C~eu;:~; c~~~ b'f~~lt',!ld;;f~t!'iratlon. di•· b~t~;•gn~; ~a~~rtil'I,~ play. storage, re.,toratlon and numberlPM and lneflectual Ptt'~iiJ~r 1~~J:~:!:t:.reb; 1 ';.~~; consullallrn• and ~he u.,uol standard•. bus)••bodles. The operational poul• Sadly needed :~~~~ 10 a; a,:.!',!'t~l::~~~ "a mrTh~: e~, :~:.m~'::~~~r:~ hne played an Important ~art. and we now find that .::!re i;.eil'::.n-:"e":,t ,J: h~!:,~~ nlllH and Yl • ual arll, and 11 ~~~:.r:::J"::d:h:: :.~~h ,.1~ lrrhnolnJY and aclonce. The eager expectancy ot the people !or Arl education Is In stronw evidence aRaln when one looks over the shelves or the book •lore., and clearly •ees the care and experu;e publisher. h•ve In• ~l!~~eda rt J'n'~ucl~i1:~· .!i~ l>esplte tile frustration•. Sir Jo.hua aud hill contem– poraries even at 1h11 lime knew lull well what wos wanted. as did such eminent statesmen as Sir Robert Peel and Lord John Russell. to name but. two. Two hundred years la ter a modern Art Gallery la sadly , and Jt•peraJ~!.y needed In Brisbane. The symptoms are ~~~ti1:~l~ho~ssa;g~ l.be ~~~~ dieted. Can It he achl•ved rnr tho hrndlt nf lhe ,.hole Stale wllhout belnr hamp,rtd ani- Delay on art site A committee appointed to e1:amlne po11ible sites far a new Queensland art gallery would seek fu,– thar Information before making a decision. Announcing this last n I g h t the co-orrllnator- ~; ~:;~alt~t1~on~~;{t~~~.' ~~/3 tl:nt a number or possible s'. ·es wrrc being considtrcct. He said another meet.Ing would be held "rensounbly t~",',','~ig J~~~lf possible !lies IL ls understood lhnt ~:;;Je ~h~ 1 'boi-~~f~ctg~~rtr\\\~ I' lhert Park anrt thr nlrl m n r k e Ls site In R.omn S1rcct. 1 "'"" the clly, lhe country and tnurld are non•nlotenL The capaelly lo mount and dl1plai·, other than a small • elecl ion of the collecllon, borden, on the rldlculoua. To mount an average sized , n-co:nlng exhibition our o\\'n works must be taken by hand up numerous stairs to storage areas, or further ue throu11h the "horror stretch' lo the o.ttlc. Not one work from the Slnte collection re– main• on view. Such sltu– a1!011., could hardly be worse. It ls \\'ell-nlRh lmp06.llble Lo ncrmlt •nv sludv In the "Art Llbrar1•". a, In the ,ame cramped room there are three members 1>! the atal! 11 leut workln1. pJ11.5 equip– ment. oeraphernalla. a 9" 'itchboe.rd and all the weJJ. 1.-orn tn>e\\'Titers. Thla obsolete bu1ldin1 la hut or cold u the case may b•. and mo•t o! the exls1111i: bAs1c amt mties are rar be· In~· •tandard Like the no– mad~ we (19.·eJI in onf' 1rm• J>Ora ry rump at1rr another lllll 11 Ihr iH'('Sf'III on~ of nr.arly • O years oec-u11anry has brromr u1 trrly depres.s• In~ and lntolrrable and our prtstl11• and Impact are In the lo\\ 1 t.st • •ater. If one car.. lo look around Au • tralla today It 11 ,utcld7 apparent that the ether States are retpondlnr to the ea~f~t~~a,~:: ~~,l~e 1r:o:e~~ ond Art Gallery In the short hlatory or this youns coun– try. It ill co.11111 S14 ml111on and Is a ba\Yaln at the price. ~~le baml n~ 0 \~~•~h~1~ 11 f/ifi years agol. The same S1at.e '·" 110w rPady lo embark on the .,J>endlna Of R further sn million lo romplele I he Arts Centre In Melbourne. Other States \\'cstern Au:,trallan plan& lo spend S5 mJlllon In the next few years on B new aal- ~'r[J'.i,ri~~J~! 1 gi~J~r~.on the New South Wales 11 t.o add a larse nn• wlna or ,cv– eral noora to the exlsllna rallery and prellmar, work has • tarted. Country ct!ntrto are al&o attracllna financial assistance from the Oovem– m"11. South A1iatralla completed a ne\\' and spacious wing • few years ago. Canberra has already cho• sen an archl~t for the areat National Gallery or the capital. In the meantime Canberra apparently looses no opportunity or acqulrlnr ~~:.r.~/!~"1\'io 1 ; wa:ot:id!~r~~ that they hRve this OP· portu11it)'. Queensland Is •till In a temporary horn,;. and Iller– ally .tuulln11 with the ,2c.ooo • yrar on which It Is forced to exist, thou~h uustees Rnd dlrrctors htll'e O1•er ma nv \'P'a l'8 bef'n 11.rele · In ~~:f, O~llorts lO tecti!y the De f In 11P promlbea t1&\'e ~~i~l~~•de but they rame to At an.l· rate there ts 1lllt lhe unique opportunity lo rrf"ate a fine Arla c,-ntr,. The time I• rill": one can '1 1 ;~L 1 ?ro~• 1i. 1 :· Victorian Galf.ry 1hr other State 1al– J,.nP11 or new wtnRs have bPen proposed or built ••lth– O111 osk1ng 1he public to con– t rlbute OnP c.·enl. What must we do to achieve a new Art Gallery? We must not tor1e1, or course. that the lon1er the delll.V the more expe11- 1h·e the project will be· com,. But In our obll1a1[on t.o roster ar1 It has to come. So any tu rther delay la ob– vlou•ly 1111ww and unfair Govt. backine f'lnlly lh•r• mu11 be the !'~•~wll~cnor~:.de'11:~:r.5 ~:ckln~::i'u\het~o•·~:J"~~ austafn an:f8complete Ille project wllhln a N'Ulln• ablo lime. Thlo tlae p,,~llo b 1urely enlllled to nr••l, t':.'iu•..,,f:~:?u. ranno bt The Government muat ac– crpt lull reaporalblllty for lnsurlne that Quee111land's marked lnduatrlal devel– opment Is lullv matched by Its cultural development. Implied reco1n11lon or this hL, Alreaay been done by the appointment or Austra111·1 first Director or Cultural Ac· tMtlrs, bu1 It I• pracllcal recognition. In the form or a moclt•1n /,r1~ Centre. which I, now so de•1>er11A!ly need– rd Compared 111th the dilapi– dated and pathetic st.ructure no"· exilltlng In Brlahane, a ~,"i,rc~al~1H' ~~t~ ~h~ 18 Gt~~ w,• I for the next 25 ye11ra at ler.st. 11• expansion will be rapid and consldenible. It. mmt be envlaa1ed u an •1111:-elv d1lleren1 concep•. lr~m those of the past years - ••Ith the esscnUal addl• lion.. M> lnllJICapably nece •- ~~~ I~ iic:1:~ ftal~tR' fJ~~~ lion with 11t11lactlon, vital– ity, and benefit for manv ven1s ahea!I. Recent news from the United Statea told or the Oc· ~~r~~~ 1 .~f ~ 1 ~~; i,;trn: 1eles Art Centre - of a Re– noir a.nd I Modlrlllanl, Plll.5 a million dollars In cash. Apart from our at..ter Slates - from the Weal Cout of AlrlcL to Iarael, acro.,s America. Europe, and Into I.he East, major and surprising development.. In :i"t~II~~ dr"~~Warr•~~~vl~~~ WH.\T NOW FOR QUEENSUNO!