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

;, r n a 1 a 11 0 0 ir I, le 0 El Dorado. Colombian Gold The Auatrallan Art Exhibitions Corporation Limited The Australian Art Exhibitions Corporation Limited was lncorpo,ated as a company In September 1976 to manage and organise major art exhibitions within Australia: The Corporatlons's Board Includes distinguished representatives lr01,11 Federal, State and private Interests, and members bring special skills and talents to the Board as a result of Individual experience as Trustees of State Galleries, membership of the At,Jstralla Council, the Visual Ar1s Board and other bodies connected with the arts. The Board Is distinctive In having strong business and commercial Influences; however with lhe exception ol tha Executive Director, all Board members serve In an honorary capacity and do not receive fees for their services on Corporation business. Following the overwhelming i;uccess of the 1977 Chinese Exhibition the Australian Art Exhibitions Corporation, with newly elected Board Chairman, Mr. James B. Leslie (Chairman, Mobil Oil Australia Limited), and recently appointed Executive Director, Bronwyn Thomas, will In 1978 present 'El Dorado: Colombian Gold' In five State Galleries. .. - .... ' . ' '· .. ., Colombla The Republic of Colombia has an erea of 1.7 million square kilometres. It Is the fourth largest country In South America, with the third largest population. There are twenty-four million people of varied racial background, ranging from pure white (mainly Spanish extraction), pure Indian and pure black to blood mixtures of all three. Colombia Is the only South American country with coastlines upon both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The last major alteration to lls borders occurred In 1903 when the Department of PanamA seceded and became a separate republic. This was with the active assistance of the United States, which was buying up the rights or the company formed In 1881 In order to construct the Panam·ACanal. Just over half of Colombia's area Is lowland which Is very sparsely populated. The great majority of the people (over 98 per cent) live In the mountainous western portion of the country. The Colombian Andes divide Into three ranges - the Western, Central, and Eastern Cordilleras. Between them stretch the long, wide Cauca and Magdalena River valleys. Six of the seven goldworklng areas are found in these mountains and valleys. There are few countries In the world which offer the enormous variety of scenery, climate and cultures that makes Colombia such afacinatlng place to visit. . - . . . , .. t.. ,,. ' \ ' \ "'" \ I .- - -- ...... - .... --~ ' , .... , ·- "': ' ' ' ' ' ~ ............ # -- .. .... ,._ .. -~~K~,,o~m-0~1rn'--.,_-'-~ 250 .. Sponsored Dy l'llrBl.'.\l.'iO.l '111HI /11.'IHil.'.liili The Benson and Hedges Compan and The Arts The El DoradoColombian Gold Exhibition, marks the II association between The Benson and Hedges Company and the Australian Art Exhibitions CorpoJatlon Limited. Established In Bond Street, London, In 1873, the Benso and Hedges Company began manufacturing and market In Australia In 1962. Its first community Involvement was through the Royal N.S.W. Institute for Deaf and Blind Children. In the early 19705 the company became associated with the visual arts through Its provision of awards for local Ill at the annual Sydney FIim Festivals. Tei mark the centenary of the brand, the company relo the then defunct Daly-WIison Big Band In 1973 and sent them on a tour of Australia. The band le now an establls entity on the Australian popular music scene and Is still under Benson and Hedges sponsorship. It has perform In Russia,the U.S.A.. Indonesia, England, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The company was the sole sponsor of the Australian Opera's production of 'War and Peace', the first opera perlormed In the Sydney Opera House. It Is still In the Australian Opera's repertoire under Benson and H sponSllrshlp, as Is the company's subsequent productl 'Tosca'. To mark the Sliver Jubllee year ol 1977, Benson and Hedges sponsored the Royal Variety Performance at the Sydney Opera House, attended by H.R.H. the Prince ol Wales, Prince Charles, and also the Royal Coaches Exhibition which Is still touring Australia. Earlier the same year, Benson and Hedges sponsored Australian season by the London Festival Ballet, with Rudolph Nureyev as principal dancer. In the field of graphic arts, the Tom Llngwood Cos_tume Designs for 'War and Peace', now the property of The Benson and Hedges Company, have toured Australian galleries. (Lift) Map of Colombl1, 1howlng m • Jor 1nd minor goldwortdng area.