Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 7 : Debate on New Art Gallery and Cultural Centre, 1970-1976

.... "COURIER MAIL" Brl•INne, Old. ·2.2.MAR\ "COURIER MAIL'' Brisbane, Old. 24 MAR 1972 ;appyabout ' n 'eW gallery -NEWS of the new • . Queen:. Aft QfJJeJ:~,Pro . . ~ ~abtnet's aJ>P~YJl ,and warm blessing provide Jne~~\t~le 'Pileasure fo~... t}le grateful pe'opli ~ this State. ' . Buel\ wonderful atimu– lys hei'aldl the termlna• ~ton, 111. . ihe not too di.I· tant future, of Queena– lanct:, '. cultural deprea– slor'I. ·The unhappy aide of the gallery story may 1urely now rest in peace. ... However duting the gallery's ~ odd yeara' oc– cupancy of the totally 1 n adequate bulldlnr, there have been those 1 o y al and thoughtful people who were greatly concerned and continued to preu the almost des– perate point with un– flaaaing spirit - in– clualng Gallery society members, the press and 'Its countless tCllder11, the •trustees and staff _. • • Work, money It 11 inaplring to know a I so that benefactors, artlata and vtalton have continued generopalr. to p re I e n t arid bequeath valuable work or mohey to the gallery, with cheerful and optlm11tlc conviction thatf their glfta would benent the community •.. When planning and work begma on the new gallery project With !ta eminently suitable site, the local and national Im– age of thll city_ and g_al– JerY,JVlll be thoroughly reY,!..d&!KI, and the·repu– t at lo n and ref~g P~SL.Of thl§,.~~ youq'g State Will l)~ Im• meuurably broadened and enhanced. Rapid development In o the r fields is con– spicuously obvloua and when Industry, education and art move proudly forward toaether, ,we may lltt· up our h~s. for the claim tor a pew art r,rall~t'Y In Ws_ city· la trlllY, justlflef.. Other Btatea have con– fidently !,ld.lAte_· d the way, Let uiDiat'falter but work together' with a will to Rchleve the desired goal, tor the inestimable and lasting benefit for · all our people - James' W'leneke, Director, Queen • tand Art Galte17, ~COURIER MAIL" Brflbine, Qld. ., i 1 ~ .Y3~;i }N' 'l'be eo-,,,r • Mall of March 22, ·g. , B. Cullen wrote · "Wh7 ~alld a 17 alllloa Art Gallery oa a· alte which will be 10ft. under water In the next '93 flood?" 1r To , - I;ould ~dd, ~. northilcte •hlch Wlll' ..... • • .. .,. o..... F.., ........ on a II •ndwtahed be•·Gi.tl- on, b!Ocik · rt- tween tw, or ~ ~oat ~ .. · duttuctive, apnti . Pol· All 'thla, will ' ~Ide llble tp work, ot Att? ry danamua nelsh- 1 ' :r am ret..-nni_ \o '1le ::Jr • ,Jft ~ah a;i:g dtltructlve '!I~ 9( of ~ 1n' caulclt ttmel: f::~. &dri-11::1:~ But w 4 hy notlnclo "11.baourt1- . <at Stanley triet, th ,eln1 . «ml. a. . Brllbane) II tklh ln .both. IC&Pltal cltlll; , ,_,,:; Pull . down the - They ,Include. 1 bulldlDI and erect tbe new aiod8"l raultll&OrY 1. The polaon pollut• 1all~ on tile 1111111 9'JJ. anta 1nm the · exbauata 1x99l11nt llt.e. at &·- of the conatant ,tzeam ner of OrtRI of _vehl11ular traffic Ulinl and Bowen Bl'l!IP~ • tile ·new treeway 1Jq The bulldllll ~ Iii b nortih bank· al the bro13ht forward to _. river, Immediately OR- ·, 11vell ii ln ,..,. 'liNle1Utl: Polite the propoaed A" of Modem Art ,In ' NM, ~llery, :YOl'k ....., thlll Movtdl)li ,·2. The damp ...-. ~d'°:cl J:!~- [: from, the river under 11M fi!en=- .a mWlbn,.dol found1tlona ~-... ~ Iara ..... cl ... 1av..., ' damp air ~, r .: '"' - ""',-• round the raller,; Byd~er ~, cl• lta Art oauarr or•• S. The tndUltrlal bin•' thl·'Jut llstQ 'I terland al~lbowne bull~ ail Street and• y street: tii · • dd Street on the ' SouUlalde the' aiM __, Of the river, ft~ 1 !onet• 1 f, itNt Im t,be ra t1n1 the inter •- 'rail- now - way to be extended over G...._ · the river to link UP- wit. . '.BIii. , ~· • 'I RISBANE at last is to get a new State r.rt Gallery. The site is on the southside of the Brisbane River, a short distance /upstream from the new Victoria Bridge. The site floods, but it is presumed that the planners will take care of that difficulty. . Cost of the gallery is estimated at about $7 million. It will have a total I area of 140,000 square feet - more than 40 times greater than the space beneath I 1 the State Museum which at present serves as a gallery. j The Queensland Government ex– pects the gallery to be opened in 1978. , According to Work s Minister Max Hodges it will be a "building of architectural merit , uni4ue in character and incorporating the latest develop– ments and best facilities available". So enthusiastic is he nbo\ll the pro– ject, that Mr Hoc!,•e~ ' ~came quj.te v1s1onary about ii when announcing cfe- 1tai ls. II would be, he said, "an outward-looking building, which will take full advantage of the views of the river, the city and the tree-clad hills in the distance. The building will be light in color, carefully 111odellcd. simple in form, and constructed of maintenance– free materials." In view of the fact that tenders for / the design have still to be called, architect~ are making a close tudy of Mr Hodges' requirements. Also river heights. 10