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

T HE Queensland Art Gallery will pay $3500 for a painting by one of the State's mo,t famous artists - John Coburn. Art Gollcry director Rooul Mellish sclcctt'cl the work from Coburn'• curre nt eahiltition ot Verlie Ju,t', Tow" Gal– lery in Queen Street. 1t•, the highc1t-priced ,ointing on show at the • • hibition ond o condi• tion of sole i1 that it re• m•ins on .,ublic tllisploy until the entl of the 1hewin9_ o• Mey 15. Coln,r•, S1, alao he, sev.. crel tope1trin 011 llli1ploy et the 9ollcry, Nn9in1 In price hem $6000 te $7250. Sin.. I '57, ha hea atoged 19 •"•"'•" eahUtitions ef hit works thre119hout Auurefie, • ntl 111011y of his pointin91 an4 tap• 1utrie1 feotu11 h, f • Mou1 overseas collection,. The Vatican collection in ••"'•• the Joh,. F. ken– netly Centre for Perform– in1 Arts, Wo,hintton, ontl the Hetlonol Gal. lery, Conlter,e, i11clude Co~"'"'• wo,.,. The wMk kutht lty the Queeftsloncl Art Gallery i1 Velencio, Ofl ecrrUc 011 cenvas, which it feetured Oft the cov..- of the ltook Aw1trelian Peittten ef the S.Hnti... e su·nday Mall J OUN COBURN'S lnrrest work In h is rxl,lblllon at v•:RLIE J UST'S Town Gal• lery In Brisbane was bourht by lhc Qucenslanll Art Gallery for U 500. 1'he 1mln1J11r, \'a • lcnc.Ja, b one o( the major purchases Ibis year· by II ral:ory. 1'hc dlreclor RAou'." ~IELLISH, saJ·s JI ' will b,: Ideal for the 11 , w Male r•I: lery, due to of)(.•n in 1970. ITHE ARTS 1 t Reviewed by FREDERIC ROGERS Queensland buys a fine sculpture Tllf: Queen;oland Art Gallery's collection i:l'radually is being auJrmenl ell hy pieces of great and increas ing value und or inter– national art int!'res l. f t.<; lat,..',:;t ncq tdsltion, pre\·te 1vect during the week thrnugh the courlR– sr of U1t? director (Mr. Rnou l Melllr-;.h 1. Is i\ whol ly dcllghLrul Henry l\.1<1,(,)rl' hron1,c, .c.c11lpturc. ··Rrcl111 ng Fii::urc", n su• Jlt:'l'h (''-(\tllplP of 111{' nrL– L-,t: , .. worl;, cre~ t('d only lust. Y<' l\r. For lonct. 1h r T rt15ICC'!; hnvt• ww;h r. nt. n. prier w It I• 1 n t hPi r m oclrst me-n.n:-, n work hy fl.·Toorc hot.II for tlS (l\\'11 \·n luul)l(_• 51\kC nnd ~-- (\ p t(•rt• Cfllll• pl~mentnry t,> t ile rxntn • pll-..~ or t h e work or h is ront r mporory. n ~rhnra f-f<'l) \\'Ort h ~net otllr r con· 1<'11l w>rnncs. wl11r h the gi1..llrrr (,lre1 t1r s>o.'i.SCS5C'S. * 'fhC' opp1)rt11nity :1ro,;;e ~.-he11 a.ru .... t. Arth u r E\·nn llf•Act. a l.~ B G Allcry ll'll~l('(', ,1s1ted F.nghual n ll'A' !1llllt l hs n.go ntrOlll!h t.ht? kind or– ri( ('S or a mu tual nr • 'l'lnlll t:'HlCt', M r. Rl' d W,L Cll.'lhlf'rl lo \'ISH the 7ft -n~tll'-(lld l\1,),-ir(' Al lw, :-. 1 11<l lo 11 n<1 t'IH!IH!<'d I h C' fll'll, t':- lrll t' r('.',t LO Ill<' ('~– (--"Il l !lint h t• nllnwrrt lh1• rf'pn.• ,p111 ,11t,r to Sl'li"Cl n plert' from W1c work thrrc. T he 1>leC<' selected \\'OS the 28 cm long figure or n rc.-clininR womnn Llrnt is now the lrca.•mrccl property or Lhe State or Q u('('11Sla11d . * II Ls a thin~ nf lovrly. ,•llal line and be:mlfrul te x tu re that, brnntt• lhou,:h ft Js, SUJ;:",t<',t~ "tone: a fir urt- rorm that, rrom his earliest day~. has atlratll'd I\loore•s al· l<nllon and tn which h• h as latterly retJ rned wll h renewed Interest. Tt Ls a J)iece upon which the SCUlfllOr h imself oh· ,11011sly places grcnt val– ue, .i.lnc-e he hns given ('X• plicit. Inst.ructions for ltfi mount.Ing ror dLo:;ptay. The cost. to Lhc On llery (the actuRl 1>urchRSe \\'M mad(', a.11 LIii CWH.OtlH\ r}'. t h r O ll g h t he llrL!St .• nµr n u wns St0,600 - J) r Ic e, eomdd<"rcd ex– t.r('rnCI\' r.cwourn.hlc. The . Q t1C('1lslnnd G nl- lrrn, annuC\I ~rnnl ror Tllflhl ('111\11C'C', purc h ri •H."t l1hr1117 nrnt i:enrr,,l r11 11 - 11 111 ~ ('XJ> r Jl S P ~ ll~ ff'<"('1lll) hern l11c•r·r:\.11C'1I from $115,000 hy I\ GOV· ernment. COI\SCIOUS of t.he ne<-css1t r tn deveto,, th e tnst.1tt1t1011. but ls yet only $150.000. Snme may disapprove of the rxr,eruHture ot so 1•.r~e a sum nr nmnt'y on so !ii-mall a. ~rulplure, but t.hry ma~· he a.'isured thal lhr m rme_\" l1:1.s not been Wl\-.(~ rf. Nol n11\y Is th e o.cq11lsl– L111n nr m,,..,, 11nnhlc \'aluc to tlu.. c1c-vC'lr,pmcnt. or r111turf• w11 l1111 t he Stale, lrnL Iller~ rnn he nn d O u h L lhn t 1L will lmmrn...,t1m bly lncrcMe in vnlue. * Said M r, Mellish : "II Is n rart• work : It I~ a s111Rtl hu L ~rc:tt work: l he size Is nnl mq,ortn 11 l. Henry M,>0re has willed hi.Iii un – sold work!i to I he nntton 1, n <1 furthermore hn.i; st.ipulnlcd Lhnt. w hen h e die,.:;. nil his models nrc lo hr dc, Lroyed. Our 'R<'C1· tt111H: 1-.. 1,n1rc· La.. and will rClll!\ln UlllQlll'.'' Th(' M'tilpllll'('. il Is un• rtrr:H"4'lrt. wl11 be on virv.' m t lw C~11rr-11~\nnct Art Grillrr,1· , M I~! Oullctil1g, 1,~ \ 1111 S lrert 1, d uring ,·1., 11 \IH? IPHl n , lndn.J.