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

orkers ave ad ND THEY~RE UEUIN-G TO LOOK. r· OUR fr.JUDE • • • PtcASSO;who finally acknowledged his mortality in 1973, would probably have been vastly entertained by it all. The currcnl e.xhipi1ion al lhe New York Museum of Modern Arl (MOMA lo 1hose in !he know) is 1he mos1 cornprchcnsi\'e collee1ion of his life's work c\'er 10 be shown. And if !here was anv doubl about lhc popular appeal of serious arl Jlieasso has banished ii once and for all, The masses arc lining ud oulsidc MOMA in much the same way !hey queue for "Siar Wars", wailing lhis lime for 1hc opporlunily 10 file past 1000 works by lhc undispulcd supcrslar of 201h ccniury puin1ing. The crilics. of course, huve gone cornplclcly off 1hc deep end. They have described ii wi1h vurious supcrlali\'cs, bu1 the phrase 1ha1 slicks in lhc mind is "!he mosi remarkable exhibition lhat ever got hung on lhc wall". Picasso might also have enjoyed lhc fael lhal one of lhc puintings in the blockbusler show travelled 15.000 kilomclrcs to µcl 1!1erc. Tha1·s hnw fur ii is, apprnximu1cly. from 160 Ann Succl, llrisbaue. I lie (juecnsland Arl Gallery acquired 'I.a Relic llollandaisc' in 1959 when ii was bough! at Sotheby's, lhc Londou auctioneers, for £55,000 sterling. At the time it was a sc:rndulous amount of money, the highest price c\'cr r,.aid for a Picusso oortrait. " II bears out 1he principle ihal if you wa nl lhc bes! you'\'e got to pay 1he P(icc lhnl g11es wi1h it,'' Gallery direclor Raoul Melhsh said 1h1s week. MOMA wanled 1hc \'cry besl for ils i:xhibilion. The plan \\as 10 fill all 1l1rec lloors of 1he building wilh Picasso's most import:1111 works. It was 10 he not unly a tribuJc 10 lht.: ar1ist's grc;.llncss. but al~o an cxiravaganl cclcbra1ion of lhc mu,cum's 50th , bir1hda y this ycn r. By Jane Cadzow The idcn wns to prc~cnt a sclcc1ion or works which cnm·c\cd the. c>.traordinarv din·r:-.it\' and imul!inatinn ol an ~1rtistic career spanning 80 yc.irs. The aim was quul11y rather 1han quan1i1y. but because ii '"" Picasso, lhc two could be happily combined. The French Govcrnmen1. which aceepled an ex1cnsivc Picasso collection in lieu of dc,llh du11,:s, was a mujor conlributor. So was the l'ica-,.<u fom 'ly, his heirs temporarily forgcuing !heir squ1<bblcs to gel inlo the spirit of lhings. Fifty-six museums around the world were invi1ed to give up their lrcasurcs· for the four months of lhc c,hibi1iun. The Queensland Arl Gallery was !he only une in Australiu asked I(> the parly. "li's a greal hunor." suid Mr Mellish. "It puls us on the 111;,p intcrn:11io11ally.'' 11 ,, :1, lh)l particular!~: :,.11rpri,ing. though. 'I a lkllc·. m, ,;;he i, 11 1'fccti1urn1cl\ k111mn nrourut 1\1111 St rccl. ,,a, rcc,,gni:-.c1I a:-. the 1i1n,t imp11r1ant Pii.::h :-t1 in lhc 1.'1Hllllr\ , · It ,,a, pn inied in \ 1 Hl '\, ,,!11.:111hc ."!~-,e.,r-nld 11r1i, t 11,11k n munth', brl':tk fr11m 1h1..· d1"11l111c \l1m1111.1rtrl.' :,.c..:ne f,ir n q11 11.'1 :-11ju11rn in the Dutch rn11111r, ,,de. ,l11 1hc ,mall village of Sd111orl. IH!,ir Alk nrn1u . he hn1nd a hl..'allhy pi:asa nt girl hy the 11:1111..: ,,f \\ ilhcln111.•n1 k I la 1ra m!'1il :11r .111d \\ 1.'ll•l1L·,hl·d 1,.,,J\ n111,1 h.1\ L' ·'l'P'-',1h.:d 11 111..·r th(· h:igg:1nt• \H'l1111~ • 1 1 ,,1ci~1~ . • pttllfh .1nd pr11,1 11u1c, nr1tl d11111\r. :111h ,11\'. lrnd, h~i.:11 h,1n}!1ng .irt,11111I \\ llh 111 P:11'1, . In -~11, '-•i,1..·. Pn.:a" o 111l!1111rt:tli~cd '1.11 lklk 11111\.1111l.1 1,1..· 111 411 L }!11111u.'hl..', .,ntl blue chal~. ,,._ -~ '"h ,, ., .. 1h..: bl',-?inn 1 ,cru•, ' 11 1111111\t..'lll ,tl sludics ,,r the fcmale •rigurc."' ,nid Mr Mellish. "It llilS a 1urning poi111 , a sorl of hialus lie111·ecn !he blue and rose pcriud,." I The hue Major Ilarold de Vnhl Rubin ,uid of ii: "The painting is full nf 1he lcnderncss." Majur Rubin hud cornrncnl. J\ Queensland gra,ier nnd philan1hropiS1 who died in 11/64, it was his considerable for1une 1ha1 bought 'La Relic' and six 01hcr imporlant European WO(kS for the Slate Gallery. Melbourne-born E1on-cduca1ed and member of the Rrilish Mili1i1ry Intelligence in World War 11. Major Rubin has lcfl an indelible mark nn our cullural hcri1agc. The Gallery· ncccp1cd MOMA's invi1a1ion to send 'La Delle' wi1h snmc reservations. J\,fcllish: "\Ve don't like it 1rnvclling. J1's a very l'uluublc work." ,\ million dollnrs worth, at n conscrva1ivc cst1ma1c. The assi~I a 111 director ( cur:11oria I). Bettina Macaula1, was ,ek.:1cd for the uni:n1'ia blc tu,k ur Sl..',·i ng ii . :-mrcty 10 :"It:\\! York. " 11 hat! 10 he ,cry ~arcf1illy p:tl'kl.'U :i nd put in 1hc :-n:t11111 11f thL· c11 q.!n lh1ld \\h ich i:-. cn,i r1111111cntally co111wllctl ," ,h1..· ,.1111 \h-,111,\ l11lc. \I , \ l.1i:.11d.,, •.it m·n 11u'lly up 1he front. gct1111g "ul a l l.'nch ,h1pmc1 - S~ Unt.:), '\/andi. Ilt1nnlul11 .111tl I l1, Angell-~ - to chcl'k ii \\'II:-. :--till 1hcrc. :\t .l11h11 F. l\cnncdy the pa1111111g \\ U~ trnn,fcrri:tl 10 ;111 ,trnHVl.'d , an. ,, l11ch tra velled in l'1111,,I\ ',\llh , c1..·11 ri1, 1.·:ir, I•\ tlh: 111thct1111. Oh~i1111,l\ .,1111 ·.1i1'1 ,dlPl d h 1 1111,I :irnund \\ith P1l.'.1~'I•''· ,11·11i 111 • 1rnn,rnr1.11 a,11 nl 1111 1hc p,iin1i11g, anti :--..:u lp1111 .:, lro111 1hl.'1r J if kr...-111 1.'11r1H.:r, 11f 1hc glnbe \\ ;1, 1..·.1 rr1l·d 11111 ,, i1h 1111!11n r~ prcc,'111111. Thi! 1hd t ri,k llW,H\I lllc1r tirri\'1tl d111e, in New ) \ ,rk \\ C!j;., L!t1.1rtktl ,c\.'r\.·h ,,,,.- ..