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

r:J.,_NE SCHooLfRV AT Gold exhibition draws thousands By lYNDAll CRISP' the Queensland When 1he ·preclowl e&1'11o, aid National Gallery closes its to be worth ,, million, 11 moved doors on the El Dorado to Sydney next week the Ol'l&n• 19"1'1 WIii unpack the crwta and Colombian Gold Exhibition lay out the apectally desl111ed for the last time on Sunday tree-now floor plan aL the Art It will have set some kind Gallery or NBW tor the laat of record. time. Not only Is It the first time Brlibane has seen such a major exhibition but an avemge or 1600 people a day trooped up rive floors to satisfy their curl• oslty about the magnificent col– lecllon or 238 gold artefacts, some dating back to 200 AD. The exhibition was conceived In 1975 when John Stringer, representing the Visual Arts Board, began looking al sultahle exhibitions to bring to Australia. It was approved by the Aus– tralian Gallery Directors Council and deslaned and managed by the Australian Art Exhibitions Corporation which staged the Chinese Exhlblllon. A selection or ancient gold ob• Jccts from lhe Museo del Oro, Bogota, was put together nnd taken lo Ille Adelaide Arts Fes– tival In February where more than 52,000 people saw It. Jn 11lndslghl, the organlller• agree, 'this might have been a mistake. Experience would lle<!lll 10 11rove that exhibitions or lhls size nnd Import should start In Sydney or Melbourne to capture lhe m0111 publicity. But still, the numbers are Impressive. In Perth, which also hasn't J,een anything like II before, more lhAn 30,000 proplc turned out. The Na.tlonnl Gallery of Vic· tort a pl'uycd 'host to more I han 112,000 - despite the blustery, winter weather. More 1han 100,000 people are expected to Ille tbrough the tral· lery door between Auguat n and October I. The. Art Gallery Society haa commlaaloned Oull– lermo Keys Arenas to choreo• graph a ballet baaed on the lerends or El Dorado The Golden One. for Ila apeclal gala vlcwlna on t11e opening night. · When It leaves Australia. the exhibition wlll go to London ror display In the Royal Academy for three months. It Is the first time such an Important exhibition has come Lo Australia before begtn.r,tng the lnternallonal circuit. It ta also the longest-runnl1111 exhi– bition to tour here; JO months. Tile Exhibitions Corporation which comprises a number oi business and proresslonal people who work In an ·llonomry capacity, has already been ask«! by the ,\uslrnlla Council Lo present two more exhibitions. 'l'he llrst, a Russian exhibition or European paintings rrom the Hermitage Museum In Len• lngrad, Is due here In October 1079. The second, the Pompell Exhibition, Is scheduled ror early 1980. The Au1trallan'• recent report lhal the Australian Arl Exhl• blllons Corporation had been wound up was qullL IJ,corrccl. A spokesman for the cor110rallon said yesterday ; "We have r.o 11· qtlldlly problems whatever. Ollr assels are more than surrtclent to cover all present and antlol• paled debts." T HERE's an art . :raft game and you ' ~alleries that are lis ·o realise how popul a Art shows ond exhlbl• ;ions from Ihe irrnndlosc afflllrs like El Dorado Jolombian Oold which ts the current glittering mecess llt the ,Queens• land Art Gnllcry to the i'lKKA's Fine Arts Pavi• lion, lo the more humble ,,111nge gnllerles ~ut nt 811111ford, Dny• boro and Nnmbour are all nlt,rncting incredible interest. And also doing phenomlnal business lo. So whnfs the secret? \Vhy do we rush In droves I<> peer, glance, Jtnre or ogle someone c I s e' s scribblings or daublngs? Maybe it's one or those lefL-o,,er ,,.,stigal lrails from our prlme\'nl days when we liked to express our feelings a.nd ~motions In some other ~•ay than speech or ac• t.lons. The hnnds ·nnd crude palnthlRS Oil the wnlls of rn\'eS are evidence or our forefnU1crs. Maybe it's " love-hale :elationshlp, We would O\'C LO be nblc lo spend > u r 11 v e s painting, j r n w I n g , crnft,lng or ;culpLlng but hut.e to S'Rste the Lime. Maybe it's simply ~n\lJ or the courageous people who do Just tlml, rl1e people \\'ho In our V I I II ,; ~ I ,J