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

The Mackay Daily Mercury 26 March 1980 Ex ibition role in new libr ry MACKAY now had the facilities to host exhibitions from the Queensland Art Gallery, Dr. Norman Behan said last night. Or. Behan, the deputy chairman of trustees of the gallery, was officially opening an exhibition in the new Mackay city lib– rary. first Copying nature would never make a great pic– ture . The great artists in– terpreted nature. Criteria There were certain criteria in selecting good pictures. The artist had 10 shuw he had mastered his medium anJ this could unly come frum discip– lined learning. There also had tu be a quality of mural integrity and creative imagination. The pic111re had lo com– municate. '"Great art never saris• lies because it never doe,. Pour an satisfies because ii does," Dr. Behan said. A vote uf thanks was propuseJ by the chairman of the council's library commitlee, Aid. G. W. Carroll. II was the first official function in the library, which was opened lust week. The exhibition com– prised 25 works from the Queensland Art Gallery and 22 pllintings by Mac– kay district artists. The permanent gift About 100 people at– tended the opening. THE only way to make something permanent was to give it away - even if the gift took more than 30 years to assemble and was last valued at $250 000. Advantage The Mayor (Aid. Ab– bott) said the foyer areu in the new librJry lent itself to static displays. He hope'd various groups in the community would take advantage of it. Dr. Behan devoted III05t of his opening ad– dress to the history of art in Austr.ilia and its over– seas influences. He also gave advice 10 noted and aspiring artists. Dr. Behan said there had always been an affin– ily belween nature and art, but there was a dis– linclion. Dr. Norman Behan displayed a sense of achievement rather than loss 11.1 he spoke yester– day oflhe handing uver of more lhan 100 paintings and sculptures 10 the Queensland University Art Museum. Chronology The Behan colleclion, permanently housed on the third floor of the uni– versity's Forgan Smith Tower, presents a com– prehensive chronological display of Australian painting, spanning more than 150 years, in a vari– et of artistic st les. A century of modern masters from the internationally acclaimed Thyssen-Bornemisza collection of American and European ;:,aintings, a hundred years of stunning originality. The lyrical Impressionism of Renoir, Monet and Degas as well as the brooding genius of Van Gogh, Picasso, Braque, Klee, Mondrian, Bacon. The Freudian nightmares of.the·Surrealists and a superb selectic;m of .the masters of Cubism, Expressionism,~.!Jstraction, Pop and Super Realism. It's an art expen!lnce you shouldn't miss. Gallery Hours Mond ay to Saturday 1 o.oo a.m. to 5.00 p.m. • Sunday 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. OpeA Friday Evening 5.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. An Australian Gallery Directors Council Exhibition 1979/80 in association with Dr. Behan is recog– nised as one of Au– stralia's most knowledge– able and discerning art collectors. He was in Mackay yes– terday to open a Queens– land An Gallery exhibi– tion in the new city lib– rary. Dr. Behan has been associated with lhe gal• lery since 1953. He is vice-prcsidenl of trustees and heads the gallery's buying commitlec. Al the age uf71, hte still has a medical practice in Brisbane, but devotes the majority of his time to an and university activities. Genetic Dr. Behan started his collcclion soon afler World War II, but his in– leresl in art was active long before that. "ll's in your genetic chemistry." By the end of the war, he had graduated as a doc– lor of medicine, after ear- 1ier studies in phar– maceutical science. In fac1, his lirst visit lo Mac– kay was as a relieving chemist before becoming a doctor. · They were hard times, he recalls. He missed an opportunity lo lake one of the local lasse~ lo the pie– lures because he did not have the necessary twu shillings. However, he built up a successful medical prac– tice, and sel 0111 to gather what is considered one of lhe linest collections of historical Australian an. If Dr. Behan started his medical studies late al the age of 25, he did nol miss one art opportunity. One painting for which he paid the equivalent ufS 100 has been conservatively val– ued al 525 000. Never paints And for a man who readily admits 10 having never painted a picture, his private collection of m,klcm greats would be the envy of many . Or. Behan has three basic requirements for a good collection . They are: • The time-value ofthe work - its place in the history of Australian an. • The authority that lhe skill, inspiration and technical perfection ofthe artist can command by a requirement proven by time. • Goud taste, matured and refined by a lot of searching for what is worthwhile in guod art. Dr. Behan has strong convictions on what he expects in arl and will readily dismiss works not conforming to his eslah– lishcd guidelines. But he is obviously a bendactur of no ~mall worth in the art""" ' <I. The Mayor (Aid. Ab· bot!) last night chu<e the words of celebrated p11r– trait artist Sir William Dub~II 10 introduce Dr. Behan : "The artist's friend" , . '· . ': i .