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

Gallery shows value E:-.IJOYABLE and educationa l as it.• recu rr nl visiting s how.1 are, it is when tl1 • Quee11Rl11nd Art l :allc1·y tint ws 011 its own collection tu cover its makl.' s hift walls tha t the real va lue of the institution bt.-comlls app11ront. ll is ul:-.o when tht' ex– tremt urge,wy 01 Lh..– llt!ed for a new. well -01>– ')()m ted gallery wllh tH1t!- 11uu1ely e1,pac11iut-1 a 11c1 Jll'Ol)erly u1r -condlLIOlll•tl storage roo,n.s 1:. under – lined. Howe\·er. d1fl1<·ulues Queenshrnct .-\rt Ou.llt!ry i Gregory Terracd. Dow.•c-11 H1ll!t1 re1u·hes probably an ull -ume h igh in vari– ety 1111d riuulity. ~-~'trd~~1'.\~ ar~•i~~ 1·:;~~; pan of the present <.'L"U – tury. And not only Lrad1t.1011- al representauorn1l art- ~:,~1~~::.~~u~y' ::~\l~~oy~:;a techniques. notwltlL'ilU nd ing. t ht! d1 • rector. l\l r J ame:. W1t•n • -,ke. alwoy.:- 111(11H1Ct''.:io to 1t1:lk1! t h e 1110.",I or lilt" i-;Jh)Ce CIJlldll lllll;>i \'Hll• a.hie to h1111 The, t'Ufl' Ill 1,hOWlni.( flf rollc<.·ttoo ph.'C''" at tht Vl:,llOrS - and there should be many - will t111d r>arucular m1 ,·re;)t '" l he COJllftLSl of work ,1011t> Uy expatr1ute Au:.– trulian 1uusts and those who hll\'e dectdt"c1 ID work 111 lhe1r homell\ml , 111>l 011ly the "·ark of con – temponll'y nr l11tely-de– ccu.. '\cd urll."\l:,, lrnt ot T ins i... altog ~t.ht •r & h I g h I y e-uJo.vahh• 11ml \'R~ll!' 111 ton11au ve exl11 - 1>111v11 Lhul Otll'.t' uglllll 11- IU!-tlrtllc, t h • -,('QI)•~ .lllr1 value 01 t hr l(Ulh:!ry·s :stock colle,·u,.n. State Public Warila Department en9i11een are to betl11 a major i111pectio11 and repair job af the Quee111la11cl Art Gillery later thi1 week or neat week. The chall'man or I he 11allery's trustees. Sir Leon Trout, said tOday the gallery wus ridden with white ants and some of U1e beams sup– portln& the roof "'"re so rotten they did not meet. He said dependln~ on the timetable set by the Work.s Dcpart,ment the f~11:ry 1 ;~ouj~Y~~°":n~•l~~: main closed tor some wer1'.,. ' "The bulldlng should be closed forever becuuse lt could Cal'. down with• ~~~t~~[ s!!{A~ln~r d~!t~ft nr; f;' 11 {:;;d,~e ":!fil lhe trustees hlld reached the de s p e rat e position or having to draw up a llst or the moot valuable or more thnn 1000 palnllngs ln the collecllon which could be taken from the gallery and stored under guard (n alr-condltloned premlseA. The collecllon ls valued at more than $4 mlllion. "It ls a critical sllu • at.Ion when we hove to decide what wQrks could be replaced tr they were destroyed In a colil1pse or the building," he snld. EVACUATED Slr Leon Sllid the gnl– lery should :ie\'Cr be re· ~ra;;•~,~~.1~·~e 1';~~;~~~~~~ as soon n t possl h le n.s there v.'tls a danger 1ieople could be kllle<l IC u,;t~~ld6~1t1~:'c 1 / 11 ~~~1ded yesterday to hn\'e B sur- ~~ To"dterv° 1 n,~~e rF.:~le:r, alternative site for the nintln s. Art gallery not safe; may close THE State Government probably will cloH the QuHnsland Art Gallery becauH it 11 unsafe. TrusteH have asked for this action becauH they said the building was unsafe for the public, staff and the $4 million collection. State Cabinet de– cided yesterday to have R survey made of the gallery and to try to find an altern11tlve site for valuable paintings. The Tre.. ,urrr \Sir Oordo n Chalk •. who rRlsed the IruMee·ti rer,orL l n Cabinet yesterday. SR id l.st 11l2ht : "l believe the exlstln2 2a!lerv ulll– matelv wllf ll•• closrtl." Thi truslees sold 1he collrc11on wM al fire and we•ther risk nnd the bulldl112 could collap.1e In A storm The\' totrl Lhfl! oovrrn• mcnt · 111• the Raller)•·s c o 11 e c t Ion should ~ Rtored In alr-condltloned premls,s under g_u_•_rd_._---l ThL, \\'IL1i necessary, lhtl' said In A letter to the Education Ml:,lster •Sir Alan Fletcher,. unt il the Stnte's new ~allrn· wa., b11\1t or until cxtrn·– sh', impro\'rmcnts wrrf made to the Jfff'S("lll bu11din~ Al lhr rnrncr oJ 0 r , g o r y l'rrract and Bo\\·rn Brld~c R.OHd. ' ' Th I tfU,l\tecs Rl'f' alarmed at the ,t nte or lhe bulldin2," the letter said. · The trustees ferl that lt l• lmpera11,·e that the ,·aluable art rollection should be otored In suit– able premises away from the Art Gallery until the :1p • • .. The letter said an estl• mated 1400 "flUare metres 05,()()(J square Ct.l of ap11ee would he needed. The trustees chairman (Sir Leon Trout) con• llrmed lR5t night that a letter was written to Sir Alnn Fletcher. ··t C[lrtnot m·er-empha- ;~~~- .~\'( I\ ~~~1~~~5~1t \\~ lhe thin~ could cnlla1,sr , "Tne trusttr~ do not wnnt to sr.c the Rnllrr~· close. hut It look~ n.,;; ~~o~c~.~ h we hn\'e no Sir Leon said thr drcl· !-Ion wn.o:; up tn thr Om·– r rnmenl. but rhe ~nllrry woulc1 hn,·r to rlose nl• 111 o s t lmmerlintrly. nt. least for mnJor repairs. In storage "\\·e mu:hl br t hr n Rble tu u~c II for rti!-plays of some of our cnllcctlnn, but the nrnjor works \\'OUld hA\'C In be kept ln ~tornRr somewhrrr cl~c:· he sn1d. R i r Leon t-ald the tru~lrt'~ wcr unnble t.o f111ct Rnn1,h for a tem– po r • r,\" g•llrry which cnulc1 rnnttnuc public ex– hibitions untll the new 2aller\' wn.s huilt. A spokesman for the Qurrnslnnd Museurn. \\'hich occ11pies pRrt nC the ,ame huildlng, ,alrt lMt night th• museum w•• not as bRdlv off. "Our , er.lion ls nnt un- e ••Id. "But we o h•1·e •ome trouble with rRinWRter rominR' In." He said the museum'• collectlon was l'Rluert at $10 million. The gallery-museum building WM built 75 h'i,'lf.' 11"'1:'a, •~••an ~o~~~: r.'~~}~r ~i~=.~~~ the gal- The StRie Gm·r rnm,nt Rlread)' has declded to build a new gallery, The Site on the southern side or lho Victoria Brlnge !';~ RW\ ~~o.'i~a~~~"•~ commission to design the building. Thr new g11lltry. ex• pectecl tn hr open hy t97R, will cost 11n e!-tl- 1 m;~~~ $1~~~~; 00 irnm t hf! trustees In Sir Alnn F'lel • r h e r Included rlalms l,hR I, There WR:i R rtsk of Pkc– t r\cAI ,-hort c1rrut11n1t whf'r1 rRin wn \,('r ramf' tn. Two , ;ta.ff mrmhf'r~ whn nrn\'eri rn.rly at k~" ,~~;i~;~·/' 1 ~1;~" ';W',.:t or thf\ rn111 from <'Y· c Ion r \\'Anc1R found w1rl1Hz ~hart circu iting: en0 wrrc Just Rhlr to prr\'r rn i. mRJnr fl rr. A 1Wt ~ \tat~~. r:M'~ ~/ [1;,\ ~u ll~lln,ir:"\:;:~~~ spreRrl rapidly And It would not be possible to ••"e ony of the con• tent,;. A consulting englnerr·s reporl, Mid thtre WM • "'eakness ln the roof trusses Rnd th•t the bullnin2 tn u., pre>.ent condlllon wR5 R hRzard to the public. In Cabinet Cobinet ,reslerday ne– clded : To a, k the Educot.lon M ln i ,t rr •Slr AIRn Fletcher , to Investigate lindln2 Rn Rlttrnatl\'P •lte for th• oalnlinos. To A>k thr Works Minis– ter , Mr. Hodges• lo hn\·e n complete sun·ey ma,!e or the exlstlnR R• llery Sir Gordon Cha11' sold lhRt lnllowln• lloocllnR nnrt hrR\'\' rein, thrre were prohl~n,s onrl Sir Lenn Trout han drawn lhe Government's Atten– tion to Lht"rn. Sir Gorclon solrt Cab• hlrt hRd drclded lo try 10 lmd RclequRte space un– der .c:ecnrlt~· conditions for I he dl.<play and stor– •~• or vnh1Rhle polntlnRs, th~~~:;: ~,.in:;:~touP~"~i open until •bout l9i8. tn tlH? meanlimr.. the Gn\'ernmrnt WIit- lnoklmr Rt Ihe Idea or R 1empo- "1~\~ lit~~~~\~n SA.Id the Go\'crnmcnt had spent $2 rntltlon on the nc,v ~•Iler\' project alrencly, lnclurl(ng the acqulsltlon ol lRnd. Sir Leon said the new gallery " '!IS not expeclA!d 14 be ready for OCCU!lll• : l o:, until 1978 and Queenslanders would r ~orb:~1y ~~le~o~e J,\'~j then. The trustees saict in a letter LO the Educntlonnl u n d C u I t u r a I Affairs Minister, Sir Alnn Flet– cher, that. an esllmated 1 4 oo m t l5,000 square fl~ LI o( storugc spnce would be needed to hu Jse the collection. The Jlrescnt Queens ... land Art Gallery shares temporary premises built is,. al'"!fi'i, "~eQu".:,~n~~J museum at the corner of a re g or y Terrace and Bowen Bridge Road. CRITICAL s I r Leon said the trustees hut been aware ror oome Ume or the crlt• lea! ~tntc of the building. "The gallery Jms been there tem1><>rarlly for 45 years and a nc..,. 11allery ;~:"'1'1~.n~~d ~.\l~\f t~~~ ~~r':to~~o,m~l\t r~~~:/~,K beT\~!d.new gnllery wlll cost tln estimated $7.5 ml1:: 0 r1,elr letter 14 Bir Alan the trustees sa(d 1 here was n risk or elec– trical short clrcultlng when ruinwatcr cnme 1n. Thc1· sold two staff m cm ·b c r s who arrived early nL the gallery on Jnnunrv 27 to check on the effect or rain Crom Cyclone Wtlnda round wlr(ng short clrcultlng nnd were Just able lo re,·enL a ma or fir Slr Leon said ln the pltms for the new B•llery near th e Brisbane River there wus no danger In the future or the collec• ~•r~ o ~l~fmfl~af,';d t~~ Janulll'y flood. 111 Parliament last Frl· d11y the Works Mlnlster. f;'a'j I ~f~f::•• n:~ 1 ~rt~~~ lery site had been under wa1,r 1n January wllh the lowest point or the site ~ m ce Ceetl under waler wllh the htsheat ro' 1 ~~t~~~v~Ti~~e:er Mr. Hod&ea aald the lower floor would have ?;er.:irP.!':t~";!\!r 0 !n, i~ <~1f eet~a 1 !tZve n.:~ ter. He uld further pre• caullons were beln11 taken to obtain an addltlonll mar,ln of safety ror low• er floor areu. Cw - •aelll _,.. e1 1111• IIIMI ... rb&a w111 Ille &ulna .., a,edal laMr- C r,::r ~'= aC;! ....... Here we're only J111t ,~1:rta r~~r·ti:::irg,e~ ~J~":t~~~:~gJf 0 l~!f: and Car away wtlh any htrh wlnda rust1n1 the II~\_; and behold we learn that our Ion& out– dated Art Oallery la un- :rf ff ~~~r lll!h:4 l/,fiW!~ collectlon." That'a the Trustees' asaessment which scarcely can leave the Powers • that • be any– where but at a paint of ni, return, Not, or course, that anyone can accuse the wheels of Oovernment of not lurnlng In the cause of art. A new Gallery slle hns been acquired, an • rch ltec l aworded a conunlsslon to design lhe bulldlnR - and an ~cV1~d~1\e"dg for ho~~i~:ia 1978. Bul hey, wnlt a min– ute . . . T he Trustees· r<'port reports lhnt back in !070 a Fire Drlgntle report sold the slate of l hc l"rC:i~nt butldln5{ 9''1\.~ s 1 :ch thnt n fire ,vould . ,prr.nd rapidly nnd II would not be posslhle to su,·r nn~· or the contents 'And now is t9i4, now isn't it? Which, nol surprlsln~ly le(\\'es me. like :rou. won– dering . , . , . Where, for more than three years, h l'L'i lhat lcn\'e the mutter of safety - for vlslton.. Ior ~tnffcrs and fnr ex– h ibits. not 011l.v ln the Art Department but - In the Museum. next door. In lhnt crumbly old museum piece of 8 converted concert hall complex. Anrl - Who fe e l s l ike queuing up for R ~erve or cult ure righL now ? Why, I gueM e\'Cn Blue Poles wo11ldn'1 tempt you, e\'en if there •m.s the remotest chnncc or them rlskln~ the '·mnstcrplece" in n pince lhnt·s so long been a risk to you I Yours sl nccrrly,