Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 8 : Pressclippings, 1977-1981

Elwyn Lynn Colombian Gold A II gold: bowls, spoons, fish and fishhooks, lizards, crocodiles, snakes, rings, shells, tweezers, pin • with varied heads like birds, warriors and bells, pendant •, ornaments with more pendants, ear and nose ornament 1, bracelets, diadem •, pectoral,, anklet •, trum– pets, lip plugs, votive figurines, funerary masks and penis covers. Hammered gold, welded gold, cast gold and cast tumbaea, the laat bein11 thirty-percent gold and the rest copper, a pale gold with a silvery aheen. They and earthenware and carved stone are all examples of Pre-Hiapanic work from the Colom– bian di • trict • of Calima, Muisca, Narino, Quimbaya, Sinu, Tairono and Tollma. . . Pectoral Flfure, ca111old, Boyaca di,trict. 4 Quadrant, May 1978 With such temptations and exotic names, no wonder the Spanish con• querors tightened their grip on sword and crosa as they sought to bring wealth to Spain. They brought infla– tion, too. But the search for El Dorado, the Gilded One (a term that came to mean any treaaure trove of gold), was not entirely successful in Colombia, and, as a result the Mu • eo del Oro in Bogota is rich in ancient gold objecta. Their beauty is still al– luring and still stimulates covetoue– nesa, a covetousneBB that was not confined to Spaniarda for Sir Walter Raleieh himaelf sought El Dorado. He had his head cut off for hie paina by Jame • I - of En1land. Aa the love of auch precious objects i • acutely appreciated, the Auatralian Art Exhibitions Corporation (assisted by the Commonwealth Government and Benson and Hedges) arrs,nged intenaive aecurity for their Austra– lian showing.• However, so dazzling is the display and so enticingly varied is the instal– lation that one feels the presence only of the watchful guardians of the past. The Colombian Curator, Clemincia Plazas de Nieto, accompanying the exhibition, considers the presentation equal to any that she has seen; it is certainly one that has set new stan– dards in Australia, and, indeed, the magnificent catalogue, replete with historical, geographical and metal– lurgical information, and the posters, are such an effective achievement • The Art Gallery ofSouth Au11tralia. Adelalde FHth·al, 2& February to 27 March: Weatern Auatralian Art Gallery, RApril to 7 May; National Gallery of Victoria 1 28 May to2July;Queen,land Art Gallery, 13July to 13 Au1u11t; Art Gallery of New South WalH, 22 Auguat to I October QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY 5th Floor, MIM iluildlng, 160 Ann Street, Brisbane EXHIBITIONS Watercoloun from the Collection of Sir Leon and lady Trout • nd The Trout Gift until 6 June 1978, Contemporary Australian Drawln1 Thi• survey exhibition of drawings by Aumall • n artists organised by the Western Australian Art Gallery hu been extended until 14 May, 1978. Tapestries from the Victorian Tape.my Workshop, 26 May- 5 June, 1918, Emrltsfor tA, ANlrrw andWion 1'1dmtn Mtmorla/ I',/:, for Small Sn,/pt•rr, /971, rlost on Wtdn111iay 2' Mq 1971. Entryform, may bt ollla/n,dfrom tAt Ga/1,ry, COMINGEXHIBITION EL DORADO COLOMBIAN GOLD at Qutttuland Art Galltry 13 July - 13 Au1ust, 1971 ,s,nttdby rA, Awtra/1,. A,t ExAlblt/o,u Corporoll0tt •NI1po,uor1d by Tlot 11,uon oNI Hid,., Com/fo"&f/fic that one hopea they enter homes and libraries. (Hopea, becauae the marketin1 of catalo,ues remain • 10 unpredictable that the Art Gallerie Directors' Council ha • be,un to re search the matter.) Bowl, laamm,red 1old, Nori no di1trict. The golden and earthenware ob– jecta inhabit display cases lined with black felt, the felt bein1 utilitarian enough not to be mistaken for velvet and avoidin1 the preciou • ne11 that made Queen Mary remark on the refurbiahed Victoria and Albert Muaeum, "Why doea everything look as if it were for sale?".The ll1hting i • dramatic, at times, without bein1 theatrical. Object • are often placed on shelves so sloplld at the bottom that they do not intrude like buttreuea. Almost invisible nylon threads allow some object • to float in the air and give them that isolation from reality and history that many conaider euen– tial for true aesthetic diatance or detachment, for, except in ethnologi– cal museums, displays now avoid at– tempts to recreate the original locale 27th May,1978 QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY 5th Floor, MIM Building, 180 Ann StrHI, llrl1bana Tapeatri- • from the Victorian Tapeltry Workshop Thi!' didatic exhibition include!I related p1in1inAt CAIi toon!I, wtwka in pros,es,; and tapestries tram thl V1ct0t\11n llf'IHtry WOfk~hop and will be at lhl Ou.,ensland Art G11Uerv until 5 June. 1978, Mrs. Sue Walker, D1ntctor of the V1cto,1an Tar,estrv Wc:wkshop, w,11 be av11llable to talk w ith archl1ect1 students and visitors on Saturday 27 May, and Mt. Merrill 0umbrf'JII, the Workshop's Senlor Weaver. w,11 bi a11a1lahle on ZaIurctav 27 May, Sunday 28 May and Monday 29 Mav dut1ng Gallery hours. ----- Wet,m:oloura from the Collactlon of Sir Leon and Lady Trout to I June, 1971 El Domio Col~mbi • n Gold pre11n11d in • ssociation with the 0 Auttrali1n Art E•hibltl Corporation and 1pon1orod by Tht Benion and Htcfota Company. 13 July to 13 August, 1971 Admission Adulll $1.60. Children, Studtnll, Ptntionn 75c. Pr&-Boohd evenings $5.00 plf ptlson. Admission chtrgn ll)~ly only to Columbllft Gold Elh1hlflon. Entry to othM G • lle,y uhlhltlon1 Is lrN,