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

The war of the non-existent gallery JS TT just another stall? This question is being rommlltec's WOl'k, and J>ernups thoughtlessly, pre– vcuilug B1lythiJ1g bcinJ: done al all, tl:e Queensland Govcmmcnt, instead of settin,: thc ne1v gallery trustees the tnsk Its own uct required or ti>cm, created a !urtber c· .~niltce. asked in Quccnslnml a ".silc committee'' with govcrn111cnt, city council and gallery mom• bershi1> lias uecn formed to hunt for a likely place to put a Sl.1te art gallery. 'l'his was the Centen111'3' Fi11"11ce Committee. , This time, we must hopo not. 'fhc building of n g11llcry in 1hut Stute hus been slallcrl often - 11ol :Jwuys throu~h luck of G ovcrnrnent l(no<lwill but, in the 11a.st 10 years, hy wal'riug .iutcrests amuns.: the committees the Govcnuncnt hu uppointcd to advise il or carry out its wishes, As a matt,,r of !net, n ne1v building would probably ull eaoy be standing if thc~c w:1rs hnd noL wrcck(!d govc, mncnt promises mudc in <~ltL•i.:n:;land's centenary year, 1u:w. I II that year th.c Govcm, 11wnt r eviewed the po.sitinn. Jt 1·<•aiised that Qucc11slu11d wus U1c u11ly Sl:1tc i11 J\ustrnlia which h ad JH!\'l'I' Uuill an art J,!alll'l'Y spccific•il• l.v for the purpose and thnl Hs collections Wl'l"l! ~till housed i11 •·temporary". improvised and OilllgCfOllS prc 111iscs. Il knew Lhul as far back us 10:14 the thelL Prcmicl', Mr W. 1''<>rJ,!un Sn1itll, hud said in tile c:-:tirnales <ll•l,alc thuL a lll'\V J!itllC'ry Uuilding was Ul'g:c11tly Jlct.'<lcd and thal in till! following year his Govern.. mcnt pro1niscd to erect one. So, 1n l!J5!J 1 pcrhttl)!> touchccl h.v thought of a pageant 1rnm11c.:t tu re-enact lllc fi rnl sctllcmcnt aml L>y thoughts o[ \\'1laL 11..icl ,a11d had 110L IJt!cn d one in 100 ycnrs. il 1111t through a ::tJJcciul acl u£ 1 1 .irliamcnt. A ""w Board or Gall~ry 'l'rush:l's wns crcatL-d. A silt> for a ne w building was conmiandccred. 'l'11e n e,v Art Gallrry Ad :;11e,•1ficull.v c111pow,•rl'd lhe– t.111st.1 1~, ln go a head mHl c 1:1;1hl1s ti the J,!.Jlll·ry un Hs JIL \\,' ::ii ll'. A promise or S!illll,0110 1nw111'd:-: till!' cost \\'Hs 111;1rle p wvicled the p111Jlic sulJ~cribcd u :-.i111iwr u1nou11t. '1'111, 8ilc Jay fa ei111{ th~ Rntmlie Gardens alongside Phi t ;11,·,•n1111l•1tl House, a colnnin l l,111 ld111~ c•I' s,,111l' :.tyft, a11d si1.1: wldd1 ,, a:,. to hl• 111turponitc<l ·11 l11c• 10 1,11 p lan Ill nrd1•1· w '11 11:,i• pl• r i11d fl111iittirL'i gl:1:;s 1 ~i1,·1•r. • 1•ra1111t·s and ntll"r \\ , rl\:, 01 a r L •1ppropri;it1! to it. l•l,H1~ \'.'t•rc in lht• 1,f1 i11~ (,1r in\'11111:! I111111.·1·:-s 1\ l,•x:,m.lra Lu m., 1 w 111u1 111:11 11111 !\l•11H~. .\II :-1•, ·111 ·d SPI, lo J!u. 1:111 ii " :1~ ;ii lh i:; point 1lwi :,II :-tr11 l c•d 1, 1 J.!11 \\'1 un~. 111:1: illll'l'd ihl,• )lf'll• \\ 11\t'll gq\ CJ lll llt'II\S :- lllt'ld lll -. _ 11/1\(' 1111· J.!(!11 1111~ UIIC l'IJ/llllllll e c lt) (iu ano llil'l' Its job, mnong vossiblo ccntc,uu'Y projects, was to raise the ))Uhllc money to 1>111tel1 the Govcrruncnt'a1 $500,000. As things tumcd ont, this committee ~aw it as its job not merely to 11tlracl the money hut lo allrnct il l>y figuring forth the kind of wt gallery which It believed would have the most attraction !or most ot the hoped-for wealth, It produced a brochure with n tcntalivc, architect's draw– inl( showin~ lmUs of pioneers. hall., of mdustry, hnlJs of :;cicucc, halls of 1111 sorts J11chuli11g l(llllCJ·y halls - a q1mi11t nggtuult'rntion which :-;howcd H novel upproach to 111c natu1:e 1 purposes Wtd llcsian or au art gallery. · 'J1lwrc ,r..·us, possibly, no firm intention that this sketch wltl, ils :acco1111111nying textual clal.>0ralim1 a11rl cxpls11ulio11 should represent 1he ulltmato nature nf the lmilding or what it was supposed to house, but it i.J1ccnsen U1c trustee:;, who Jell lhal nnt only had control ~~ n~·~;:, 1 t ~i~d~, 0 b,~~,~~~l:~f o[ any sort, including conll'Ol o( tlu, vc,·y l'cquil'emcnts ot the gallery they had been. scler.lc ,t by Pnr!iamcnt tea est:>ltlish, T111, llircctor, who w·J • h ighly <·1·itical of the plan itscl! and who felt that hL,; and his hoard's authority had' bt•cn undrt·mined, resigned. 'l'hc Centenary Finance Cn111111itlcc, h1 10 yew-s, :la::; 11t 1 Vl'r made any pu.blic: : latcmcnl nlJout any tun,js, ii! a11y, which it has co!l,,cted,, 1101• has any public aJ>IlCal /!Pt·n l~:unchcrl by il. IJul in spit., of tl,is nnd ns fa r a~ is publicly known, thu ,· ,11111nill.ec ilsrolf hus never l1t'L'll Ill fiein 11.Y clishauch'd; unct whenever 1he g:dkry trustee~ have Solls~ht 11cn11i~sio11 or the: r:ov,•nm1t:nt to do lhciL' ow11 job u[ ,·nlh::cti11g [11ntls, they Jmvc hcu1 k nocked h;.tck. ~o thu irnpassc still exists, lt is a ~LTangc sort ol ii111m:-:~e bc<~nusc, by a quirk or circ11111st:.rnce. the Chairman of 11tc C:cn1t•11ar:v E'inancc Com• m illt·ti has lwc•n 1or soma ~, iH'S ab11 l'hairman or The Galler.I' Hnarcl o( 'fruslccs, 'l'hc~u arc :iOme or tlm rrasr,11s why the JK'Of'llc o( Qlll'l'llslnlltl wn11dcr why Yd ;n1ol ll,•r c111 1111iitlt:e Js: J1Ccd1•d 1 c vc11 lliough the l!J5!J site 111av t11J\•; Ii,· 111 d b (avn 1· .JIHl the nli.t li1/\ ,•111111r,11t l lou.sc have 1;;i,--:·;;i\ 1/1~: 11 l 1 l1tl~ 1 Y/1l' il!~W':1,;;. : rn,1g1111 w1•11L b1•q11cst o[ f111111- tnrt" .111rl uthci- 11hJt•1·t:,; 11ru11ii•,·d 111 lilt• g-allcrv cuul1I lin lr ,~L 111 iL lo:· wa1i1 of :t 11111111• 1\1,· l'~ 1~1i11g, g;illc1y t.:,1111111l :;upply . What 11 1, • pt·opJ,, : 1 t"'1..•111 111 W.1111, 1:-. 11111 it Jll't li fci;1l 11111 11( 1·1,1111111lll·1·s wl11t'h n ·111·1·Sl'lll h> tllc111 011 Jy pt •rpcl.ua l pl'ocrns- ti1111tlon, 1111 L 1ldL•rmi11<'d :u~1i11tt to e11t t1u•111gh !lie Jrnsln1ti1111s \Vil i.-h '1:1\'r hL'1' 11 11lh1\\'1•d lo tit,,an 1111: lw!-.l 1J( .111tc111! 1 111s. 'J'hcy seem to w:111t 011(! d cai· sig11 tha t Ille Govcru- 111cn t is co111p lc tc ly sincere 111 Hs ev11vicl1tH1 tl 111l a 11rw gal101·y shuuld be buil!, llll(I a :;ih! 1·1111ld lw !n1111d i11 a fl.1sh ...,......a........ a:."c;";,..'~, ~ frtmL New J!'11m1 to