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

itYit/-;;fis}~,-.:;:1~,;~.<;:,,'-:.-;.i-1::.-1~:;i\_ ~·~r.t,:t•-.fj1,i'.t4~1:Ji~•'.I~·1,t. ~ISUAL ARTS ··~· \'·:-· ~.( I i~ I 1!1 This is I RACED to Brisbane this week after hearing that a major exhibition of work by Modern Masters was showing at the Queensland Art Gallery in the MIM building. I didn'I have much information on the exhibition except that it was standing room only in the gallery CYCf 1ince ii had opened on the twelfth. As ii turned out I was completely unprepared for what I wu about to see. There I was standing face to face with work by juat about every name painter of the Modern movements, Cel'Jlnne han1in1 beside Van Gogh, beside Sisley, beside Bacon, beside you name them. fi1; .., I waited for the initial stale of ga-ga 10 wear off - -!;f,. it didn't. This exhibition is outrageously good and \,i.t,;_,_:.·,· everybody who paints or looks at paintings or •- crilicises paintings should sec it. ;,\·~,;_~•;;:_:_: _ Al first glance the show looks like the pages of a . textbook lorn ou1 and hung as an exhibition. \Ni: Once you get close and realise that lhcsc arc the ~t real thing a humbling, childlike cxci1emen1 takes over ;f - an extraordinary experience. ~-~J n; ODD ~i; ii.~ w: The show is tilled America and Europe: A Century ~ri'. of Modern Masters. II consists of over I00 paintings, \i.f; one from each year of the past century, chosen by if! Baron Thysscn-Borncmisza from his private collcc- 1~( tion. (The fact that one man owns these paintings is t/,1~ almost as dumbfounding as the works themsclv~)- ij I often lament the fact that Coast painters lack the i\;;; opportunity to sec works on which to base their own '.1;::<- thoughts and directions. Well, here is just one such ;1~~ o~po~tunity - and wh!ll a~ opportunity it is. If you ;l;a miss II you must have 011 pamt 1n your head. ~ An aadio-visual introduction to the exhibition runs l\i/- at the entrance. t~ _the show where one can sit ~nd ii: have the exh1b1t1oh background and overview '-{"~ presented. That is, if you can sit and resist the \t;i temptation to race around the corner and get your ,~;1 optic nerves around some of the paintings. ~~J And if you're really keen there is a Wednesday r~~ night session from 6pm to 9pm running for seven ;J~ weeks which chronologically covers th~ major ~s\j movements from the 1870s 10 the 1970s. This session :ft is available only if pre-booked. The programme i~ as i\li follows: ~t~A J.M • February 13 - we've missed it but it dealt with t,;t cubism and was a lecture delivered by Dr Gertrude :;;1] Langer OBE. ~t • February .20 - Brisbane Actors Company :"r,'; present a witty/satirical look at ar1 and artists of the {r~ century. {f~' ·{,;: • February 27 - Margaret Lock - curator of 7tf prints and drawings at the gallery lectures on i}; Impressionism to Expressionism. \;i\i • March 5 - Expressionist and Surrealist films ;m including n:iastcrpiccc of the 1920s - The Cabinet of fi~ Dr Cahgar1. ?,',,, • March 12 - Internationally acclaimed film, '.;,_:,:_::_:_:,;._:~:,:,•_: Pa: 1 :a::nt::g·_ Outstanding Australian critic ;_ Elwyn Lynn lectures on Abstract Expressionism. ':/; • March 26 - Betty Churcher, lecturer in fine art :;/ at Preston lnstitule of Techqoloi;y presents Art of the ?4 1960s and 1970s. ~l:-: I~~ ••• ~~\:~ lff So after a quiet ipot for visual arts we now have a boom period. This exhibi1ion and its associated M presentations could do a lot for Gold Coast paintings ~f and art generally. ,l_;; An admission charge of S2 is made but it's more (:S: than worth ii lo sec one work - let alone one i}i hundred. I hope lo sec a 101 of Gold Coasl people al ·:,;_: the exhibition and the Wcdnesdav sessions a• ii may , .-, be the awakening we so badly need. :.'.::·,';:;:· 1 :·_.;~.,•:,: The exhibition is open till March 30. Gallery hours ,, arc: Monday 10 Sa1urday 10am - 5pm; Sunday 2pm - 5pm; with an extended Friday opening until 9.00pm. l ;,~~::=~;::;,~.,::,.:::":C