Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 5 : Presscuttings, June 1972 - November 1976

Coco et Jean This sensitive ponrait by Renoir of his two sons was given to the Queensland Art Gallery by the late Major Rubin. The Gallery was officially opened by the Governor, Sir Henry Wvlie Norman, on March 29, 1895. It was managed by a Board of Trustees with Godfrey Rivers as Honorary Curator from 1895 to 191.4. In a special article on page 6 the Assistant Director, Mr. Raoul Mellish, details the history, pro– gress and future of the Queensland Art Gallery and shows a sample of its works. TIie nr11Nt -.-e lo ....... a Nadoul Alt~ la Quu • llud w• - • de by the artlll •- Waller Jeaar (1136-1902) who wrote to tlie Go.-__,.t la October, 1113, llloltly alter lie arrived I • IIWiaae frva EasllM oa 26dt S.,Cealler or t1ie ._ ,-. He later founded the Queensland Al1 Society in 1887 and continued to work on the Govern– ment throuah this chan– nel for the establishment of 111 Art Gallery in Brisbane. Bu1I mg, W IC IS I pre- sent location. D a me Nellie Melba sang in this Concert Hall. was one of the ~~sis ;:w IC oria r I g e r,hoscn to exh1°bit in "The u nde d by Peel Street, Seventeen yean later, Godfrey Rivers, Preaident of the Queenaland Art Society and An Muter of the Technical Collep a,ain a ro u I e d public interest in the tltlblish– ment of an An Gallery. As a result of this activity, 11 the end of 1894, the Premier, Sir Hugh Nelson, promised that some pictures and en,ravinp which were the propeny of the Gov– ernment would be given as a nucle111 to an Art Gallery if suitable ac– commodation could be found. The Exhibilion Build– ing, which now houses I holh the Queensland An Gallery and the Museum, was originally planned to house lhe annual Agricul– tural and Industrial Ex– hibition. The Concert J-fall was incorporated in the r,lan as a means of revenue when the build– ing was 1101 used for ex- hibi •• •~ses. The Grey Street and Mel– Fie I d " Exhibition in bourne Street. Cabinet 1968, was a student at approval of the site for these classes. t~e new An Gallery was The appointment of g1v~n on ls1 April, 1969. the first Director was 1 he sue is an excellent made in November, 1949, one, prominently visible when Robert Campbell from the city side of the took up the position. He river and only ten min– immediately set about im- Illes' walk from the hc·irt proving the Gallery, both of the city. ' structurally and staff- The Queensland Gov– wisc, and also had lhe · e~nment ha~ proceeded ~overnmen\ G r a n t w11_h n:sumption of prop- Godfrey Riven per– suaded the Mayor of Brisbane, Alderman Rob– ert Fraser lo make avail– able a room n the upper floor of the; Old Town Hall building in Queen Street (now demolished). He filled out this room at his own expensc, and was later reimbursed by lhc Government. was ford , guine.a. grant made ment was um and the' J purchased ,by Bland- ' for 300 TIJe gallery was offi– cially opened by the Gov– ernor, Sir Heavy Wylie Nonnan, on 29th March, 1895. It was managed by a Board of T-istees with Godfrey Rivers as Honor– ary Curator from 1895 lo 1914. In 1905, on completion of the Executive Building (now the Lands Adminis– tration Building), the Gal– lery was moved there and located on lhe lop floor. Administration was taken over by the Chief Secre– tary's Department with the Trustees rcconsliluled as a Board of Advice. The new Gallery in this location was officially opened by lhe Governor, Lord Chelmsford, on I 81h December, 1905. II re– mained here until 1930 when the Gallery was removed 10 the Concert Hall of the Exhibition bu designed by thi t, G. M. H . " cil- the Mel– ' ilnn of Oakden, and Kemp, for nsland (now ational Associa- tion. JConstruction was completed in record time in 1891, in 23 weeks, of which there were 110111e three weeks of rain. This was al the time a building record for Queensland, wflich even now with modern methods has scarcely been beaten. Ae&..-- The Gallery was re– opened to the public on I 0th February, 1931, and the Official Opening on 8th April, 1931, was marked by the .presenta– tion of a number of paintings from I he Queensland Art Fund which was founded by artist Vida Lahey and sculptor 1.>aphne Mayo in 1929. Administration of lhe Gallery again passed lo a Board of Trustees with Sir James Blair as Chair– man . An Arl · Advisory Commiuee of five, in– cluding Vida L:ihey and Daphne Mayo, was ap• pointed on 4th March, 1932, lei assist lhe Trustees. The Queensland National Arl Gallery Act wns passed on 25th No– vember, 1936, . and ad– minislrnlion and control of the Gallery was main-– laincd through the Chief Secretary's Department. Later in 1947 this control was passed over lo the Department of Public ln– slruclion - now the De– partment of Education. This is still the inslru– menrul Departmenl for payment of the annual Governllllllt Grant and for adnllnUti1tivc control. Early .. ·In ' 1941 lhc 11U~l• ~ 10 estao– lish a Chlldren's Creative Art C(aq ·111~- the Gallery and - ;: -'llibane artist, Vida .• 4 ~t, wa.~ ap– pointed to conduct regu– lar classes. The first of these began in March, 194 I. . These classes have been carried on ever since and arc conducted in the Galler every Saturday mcreased. erues m the chosen site In conjunction with :!nd allocated an overall Professor R. P. Cum- figure fi $7 million to mings, Prof'essor of cover' ·~ -~ ' t of con. Architecture a t I h c stru~ . luding site Queensland University, he resu he target had the Gallery display d pletion 01 area remodelled to Its lery has been present layout of parti– tions and velarium in •· the skyline of city area of 1950. 1959 was Queensland's Centenary Year com– mcToraling the separ~– lion of the Stale from N.S.W. ln this year the Minister for Education, Mr. J. C. A . Pizzey, was instrumental in having passed lhe Queensland Art Gallery Acl of I 95S This Acl repealed seclio~ of the original Acl ol 1936 and gave the Trus• lees power 10 c.~tahlish :, new Queensland Arr Gallery. A site was chosen in : site alongside Old Gov ernment House facing 1h, Bolanicaf-n.Qanlcns. Oic Govern~..- , H 011 s c which had ;~hcen tht ~~nll'O ,flt' umvenll' form was tot,; inclu scheme II house m objects In 1964, Mr Piu.ey a'n n o u n c e d 1 modilled concept of th< original proposal statin1 that a cultural centre would be huilt on th1 location consisting of 1 new Art Gallery and • Pioneers' Centenary Hall. Each of these buildings was lo be under separate control. However, this proposal lapsed. Ne., Art GaUery Brisbane has changed , considerably particularly when viewed from the New Gallery Site acrou the river. When the new Gallery . is finally located there it will be indeed lhe major allracilon as the centre of the State's cultural activities. - Over the years the Gal– lery Collection has been wisely built up with frugal purchases from limited finances and through the generosity of donors. Al the presentation of the Trustees' Prize, 1972, on 13th October last the Chairman of Trustees, Sir Leon Trout, announced that donations lo the Gal– lery for 1971-1972 by monetary gifts and works of arl have amounted lo some S 120,000. This fig– ure included a monetary gifl of $30,000 by IW0 unonymous donors and the privn1c collection of Mrs. Lillian Bosch, of Surfers Paradise. valued al approximulely $30,000. Sir Leon also men– tioned on this occasion 1hc important bequest of some 50 pieces of antique furniture. silver and ori– ental rugs by lhc late Mrs. Blanche Bunner, of Brisbane. Together with Over lhe years many this gift, Mrs. Buttner requc.sls had been put lo h as a I so bequeathed the Government for a S 15.000 10 c.~tahlish an New Gallery. In January, Arl Scholarship. 1969, as a result of the All thc.sc recent gifts submission by the Trus- have made I 971-1972 the Ices on 23rd Decem~er, · biggc.st gift year for the 1968, of a lett~r selling Gallery since 1959, when out the pa.~• history . of the Jale Major H. de Vahl the Gallery und detailed Rubin gave paintings listing of lhe inadequacies valued at $252,000 10 the of the present Gallery, Gallery. the Government _selected This generosity shows a special _Comm111ee lo a vital interest in the new choose a s11e for a New Queensland Art Gallery. Art Gallery. The site chosen ,by this Committee was some 6! acres on the south bank of the Brisbane River just upstream from the • Mr. Rno11/ Me /11.rh iJ Assistant Director at the Q11eensland A rt Gallery and he recently won a Winston Churchill Mem– orial Prize. 'luate d • M1do1M ll • Mlr" b, ll • Mlr; l,Nftae. ·:-JMt", dltlo11 16/20. Thlt cha,1111111 b,01111 ,-melt of ll_,,., lh It 011e of the l111,01t111t ,i • cn of tllo Gelle.,'• Collec- 11 of Pre11ch 1c.i,turo. TIM •• wn IIINeW ..._ ....i,•1 dlrectlet, ftOllt 1'12 t,, lllchlNI Ch!M; • .... f Malllol, At tt,lt tl- lltMlt'• h.... - ,...,... ..... • ltllritll.