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

T'VILLE -DROP AS VENU E: F EXHIBr 0 flON PRICELES GOLD TOWNSVILLE could have seen a collection of priceless Colombian Gold if an exhibition venue with adequate security had existed in tt,e city, Miss Maria-Cristina Gast claimed this week. the (·ollectlon hnrl lnc·rcnsccl to 26.000 pieces housed in the three-storey museum In Colomhln's capitnl - Bogoto. Miss Onst vlsltcct Townsvllle brlclly, organ lslr.g aclvnncc promotions for the Elclorndo Colm 1bl.1n Gold collection which lms so for been exhlbl lrcl in Adclnltll'. Pr-rlh :met Mclhoumc. · The coll et lun will be on show In the Quccnstund Art Gnllcry, Elrlsborw. rrom July 1:1 to August 13. Enrly plnm1lng for the El DoraclCJ w ur. Miss Gast sr:ct. hnd lnclurlccl pnrt. of thr c:i, llcctlon hcinr, brought to 'l'ownsvlllc. but these plnns hnd had Lo be dropp"'I because there wn~ 1 n venur with od~qunt.c sc ·url y to exhibit the g<ild . Colombian golrl hos bern described us the finest anLI most var ed old-work 111nclc by thr Jncllrins bef r U1e Spanish conques t. The collection being exhlhltcrl in Anstrall:r com– pris •s 238 lnt ril',iwly l':lrved und cnst golct pieces of cert•monlol nnd ctny to da;· si1mll'tc:111c·c. and 24 ccrnmlcs from ~0013C' o 1500A D. It hns b en hr Ut\111 from th•· Bunco rlc la Rc– publlcn·s Mus,•n dPI Oro. or Ihe Golct Museum. \,here M ri:1-Crlsun:1 Oasl is public relnt,nns 01- 0ecr. Th B. nro cl,• In F ·p11bllcn d,· 'ul11111ht11 has cun· trollN1 n il golcJ tr:inmi: 111 ulomhls sine It was !01111rlt'd In I!12:l Th,' ba I< b,·g:111 b\' pur 1a:,ln{! [4111(1 In rlv:llr , Cllill'l·I h,n, :111,1 fl'IIII , ;,:, IC\\' pier,•~. ~'liss G.1stsnid. Gold work ls. till being found In Colombin where it was orlglnally valued f(lr Its beauty ra ther thnn 1Ls 11111tcrlnl value. Miss a st s id, And IL was because or It.~ ncsthellc quulltles nnd its abundance of supply that gol<l plnyccl such a grcnt pnrt of lh~ Soullt Amcrlcnn Incilnn's culture. It wns not until the Spanl.sh conquest. she said. tll:rt thr value pince(] lly Europe on gold was re– nllscd According to Miss Oast. the Colombian people arc reallslnl( once more the hlstorl al and 1·ullt1rnl valu, f thclr golrl in o way unequalled since before ll C Spunlsh Conqulslndors pt>lntcd 0UL the moLC• , I tl worth of ~olcl. The rxlubillon is bcln~ prt'Scr tecl by Austrnllnn Art Ex hlllltluns orporu tlon Ltd. · Ith the usslst– encc: or the Commonwcoltl O1ivernment unct ls bcln~ spo11s red by the Benson un Hedges Com• p:,nv. .\ 1.\ Hl/\ -C'll l." l'l c'/\ G a~t \\'ho has r·onw to Austr lin fr1Jm Bo~o la , 'olomhia, with the El llo r acl o 11 lom bi:111 Gulcl exhibiti on. \l'hi<'h i • hci n,: s h0\1'11 i11 1\u s trnlia's rapitul citir~.