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

"CHRONICLE" Toowoomba, Qld. 10 APR 1969 THE $7,000,000 VENTURE ART GALLERY TO BE CITY'S SHOWPLACE ' ALL AGREED ON. THAT/-:iv:d v;e!I Ol!t Into tho • • · . ,11b11rbs where tt w,04ld · __ no( be n ll]en•cc to t,raf- Th I rlc or lo µallenla a t the Nearly everybody was happy. C woulcl huve facll1Llc5 for Royal Brl6bane lioopltal, I h h •• • d th nn nrl school am! classes ho ~ays. town p Annen, t ' !lfC i.•c~• a11 e ln bullet anrl theatre. artiat • were nractkally llll ar,reed that Early •tart this was really the dart of something 'Awe-inspiring' bi1, J1he unanimity (pllowed th!! &n– noum:i:iment th11t the Government hAd acquired a site for a new Q4eensland Art Gallery on the south side of the Brisbane River - just over Vicloria Bridge. This ut gallm·y will ho no b11!!dlng slapJlpd 11p tn a hurry wllh a few llghls and hesslan panelling where the paintings wlll be hung nnd the other wqrk.s of an dlsp!pyed. This will be a $7,QOO,00P .1ob, and the Qnvcrnment is gelLh1g Sfl\flS ol ~dvjcn on how It should go nbo11t mnJtlng snr~ t.hnt our n1·t IJltllery will he cq11al to, II not jiuucr. Llrnn a11ythl11g ~lse In Ausj.ra!IR. The Governmenl.'s de. ptsln,p came · a fl;cr years or lnycst.!gntlqn nnq rt'\JOrl, and It will · mcnn lh11t !ho Q11censland Art Gallery which l)ns npver had 11 real home of Its own rnr 70 years, and Is 110w ·1ocnted on the ground floor of the rruseum, has a proper showroom. 'This museum EICCOlllllHl– dr1 t..Jon Is nowhere ncnr adequate, mnny of tho prt!nl'lni;s there have lo i>o stored l_n l>nscnwnt..s: lhcy nre dust.en nrr Ami put r,n public dlsI1lay nnw nnd ngnl n. Well rt'ceived IL Is scldnm, Ir ever, bllCh All 0 11110 \lllCOlllCIIL nf• feeling the 1u1 worlrl. has been rcceh·rcl so well , There ha\'c twr n n couple or c,;nncilt\n11nl nc~ ccplll llCf>:,; n r Iho bile. h11t., probabl y llrnL nlco round SUlll of $7,000,000 ~Ives llU Qt,,Sllrn n c c !hill Olli' llCW 1u·t gnlle1·y will bo really In tl1e silk cl•p11 ni11i,i1l. . One lr.tLCI' wr1tc1· tH 1• vJscs t,ilc G1wcr11111c11i 19 move ca rr.111lly hcfnrc U drdde. on how the ~•I• lr rr shoulrl Jnok frnm out. :,ide nn,1 wl11tL It will nrtcr 011 1 he inslrlc. He J)ointccl out: wn11ld be dlsa lrn115 arl In Q11ccnslancl aflor 70 y1c•ars nr tclll• JlQl"?l"Y CQlldlt!nns, Lile Oovrr11111e11t net.er ! hurri– edly nnd h11IIL anyLhl11g tcs., thnn the l>est.' 1 Exritemept The Q11censln11d presl– dc11 t nf the Royu l Jnst!t 11te of Archilccls rM1·. H. J. Pnrkimm11) t;Hid h is ,u·. ganlsnt Ion would hn ve liker! ~ 111111"~ ceq1ral nosl- 1!011 fnr tho new Q11ccns – l11nd Ari; Cjnllery. ,There was, however. A. genera I feelin g of cxdtcmcnL and relief amon~ a.rt lovers lhnL nflcr yearn or lrngg– ll11g a new gallery was so m11ch closer to renlity. Mr. Pnrkl11snn Slll!l(CSl.ed n competition, rest rlclcd to Q11eenslnnd archllccLs, to sel,•ct the dc.sl~ n for I.he new art gallery. QuecnslHnd U11h••Tsli y Farulty nt l\rl'111tc,:1 uru De1111 fProfc,-,,nr G . E. Roberts! dcsrr!hcd the So111 h On t!-h1111r .!:iil tt as a splcnrlid ch<,lcc. '",\\ la , l we ar,• prnklng 11,1• fJ ( 1 lie 8 1'l!-.ha11c n1, 1 c1· h.Y lrn.,·lng n 111nJor l)11llrl 1q; Ja1·i11µ ll." he snlrl. 0 T l1e river Is Brlsh1111c·s grcatc~L asset,, ntHl Illi:, is n lllflhl i111110rt– n11t step," lie ~nirt. Prnfcs.sor R11b1' rls suld a h111dn111cnt1tl ci CC 1 s i On wuuld have tu be made on whrl.ltcr lhis wns to be purely nn art allr ry or Bri.,;pane clLY planner and architect mr. ~arl LnngerJ snld he \\'Pl!l!I npt 11!<-e lq sec QueenslntJd'• new arL gallery n• an awe- 1)1splrin11 mon 11111cnt such ns t1111t In Melbourne. The public would have nq 1•a11porL \\'Ith stfch a build· 11111, and wo11ld ll)lnk or it ns so111cLht1111 s1111C1-. '"lt q1erc Is l.o bP p. great 1·,notssnpcc-st.ylc crc11Uon with 11e11vy Stql]p w11 Us, moala aqrl (qlll)• Ln Ins. the bullql11g bc– co111rs mMc lmport11nt !hill\ the exhibits," said Dr.' Lunger. B1·lstmne architect, Mr. ' G. Bligh, suggests that architects from all qver l,ustrolln Ila lnv!Led to sobmlt thclt· crecienllnls, and a number of these selrcterl for an art gallery drslgn compcLition. Othrr leading Jl~urcs 111 the nrL world hnvc l-!in11ked Ute Clovernment fpr at lijst havlp~ p11t the show on the road, but one letter writer Is worried thnt a repeat of the 1893 flood could pu t I.he cn•:– vascs In the nrt gall~ry under water. The Government I• not l11kl11g I.his wn rning Loo serlrusly ber.1111so It h'IS Lhe sontcrsct Ll•r11 lo hqld hnr;k flood w111 ars In tj1e Tll"isha11e R.lvol' r.utc11- 111cnt. · However, this wrl Lcr 111,s n110Lhcr brush fol' 11 Is CIIIIVRS. lie said the gRllcry ijho11ld be kept where It ts, a11ri ex– tenrtcd tnlo pnrt or the Royal Nntlu11R1 Assocla• lion's Show Ground. The Government is noi . yet In a position to l>P allle to say wl1en wpr!c wlll start on t11e new art 11a11er1, but prq11Jtse!I wj~t every ertort WPlll!I Jill made to 5pe~4 Jlevelf!II• mcnt. !f/le ~l!e for tltc !,RlltfJ.' t,qvers allo11t 61 acres or l*Jl!I which wtl be lt nJI• sP*Jlll~ to cl'cate L!Je rl11h~ 11ltlle§Jlltel'r, tor 1ucl1 11 q11ll!ll1!i• !fhe Lord ?,f3ypr (,'l!f. c101n Jppcal P:Wfl-1 aPPl!t 4i perches on tlJ!S ,slfp, ijnd says I.hat re• sumpUoq will be negotla• ter! petween the Qpvern– ment and hL, representa– tives. It's ti warm thing to ktJPW that the P.overn– n1ent js able to flpd $7 1 000,Q00 lot· an arL gal– lery, but the blgge. t glow or :, II comes from the way In which some or the land came I.a tt. This WRS donated jly the CILY Connell whlc-h round It did not 11ce!I thlll land for lhe R.lyoulde Drive Pl'oJect. So you see, It's v;hat people ~BY : dqes not live by alone!"