Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

r SHOWS BY "BIG I THREE" ARTISTS) THREE major art shows by internationally -known Austra- lian painters will be held during the Arts Festival. The painters, rank- ed overseas as the "big three" in Australian art, are Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd and NUS -- sell Drysdale. All will have large-scale one-man shows. Sidney Nolan will send a collection of his famous African Paintings for showing at the Adelaide Bonython Gallery. The African series ex- cited British critics and drew large crowds when shown in London early last year. Retrospective Victorian painter Arthur Boyd, also in London, will have a retrospective ex- hibition of some 80 works, at the National Gallery of South Australia. The Drysdale show, con- taining about 5G oils and 40 drawings, will be represen- tative of the artists work over a long period of years. The pictures will be on loan from national and private collections all over Australia. A fourth Important ex- hibition, entitled "Famous Australians by Famous Australian Artists," will feature 30 portraits, in- cluding Wiliam Dobell's well-known painting of Margaret 011ey, Sir Doug- las Mawson by Ivor Hole, Dmald Friend by Russell Drysdale, Self Portrait by George Lambert, Henry Lawson by Sir John Long - staff, Albert Nnmatjira by William Dorgie and a Self Portrait by Max Meldrum. Other exhibitions planned at the National Gallery are Royal Portrait Groups Pi from the collection of Queen Elizabeth, Eskimo carvings lent by the Cana- dian Government, a major Collection of Gothic Art ar- ranged by Use Victoria and Albert Museum, Lon- don, the James A. Michen- er collection of contem- porary American paintings, the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman competitions 1064 and the Peter Stuyvesant Collection of contemporary European paintings. 100 pieces The Gothic Art show consists of 100 pieces cov- ering the period from the 13th to the 16th centur- ies, The James A. Michener collection will give Aus- tralians their first chance of seeing a large number of contemporary Ameri- can paintings In Austra- lia. The Peter Stuyvesant collection comprises 24 modern European paint- ings, commissioned by a European factory to intro- duce the concept of "Art While You World" The paintings were hung in factory machine rooms where they proved to be an inspiration to the staff. To propagate the Idea of introducing culture into industry, the collection was later exhibited in the Amsterdam Museum of Modern Art, from where It Went to a large number of European cities. After displays in Aus- liana, New Zealand and Canada, the collection will be restored to the Euro- pean factory. ADELAIDE'S FESTIVAL of ARTS is in MARCH VINTAGE TIME in SOUTH AUSTRALIA We cart offer the festival every tiro years, our delightful restaurants and fine wines, all the time. widely respected director, Mr. 011 Docking. Inexperience But In Sydney itself it has meant too many deal- ers chasing too few paint- ings. There have been sadly inexperienced ventures like the Louis Gallery in Dar- linghurst. And the outer creased if anything and suburban new arrivals like the Walk at Hornsby, the 1963 found two rival Lon - Cameo at St. Ives and the don publishers annul - Palette Masters at taneously issuing surveys wood (none of which I Chats - of Australian painting with have seen) would surely do identical cover pictures. One by Finley was full of best to re -exhibit work clumsy factual errors, but from town instead of hop - showed some unfamiliar ing for the metropolitan treatment they will never work; the other by J. D. Pringle was as misleading in Its easy glibness and more irritating in its dl - get. Even a well -established dealer in better quality vorce between text and conservative painting like illustrations. Artlovers at Artarmon does Nor did it live up to its not easily join the routine title Australian Painting circuit for exhibitions of Today for it drew its new work. strations almost entirely from an exhibition held as far back as 1961; and the final irrii ion was the illegality of using these In fact Artlovers' normal practice of selling from stock and not worrying much about exhibitions has become the concealed prac- illustrations without con- tice of galleries like Terry suiting artists or copyright and Ruom which Clune's and Barry Stern's owners. actuallydy doK hates exhibi- tions. Booklets "TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. 2 JAN Nkel SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, JANUARY 12, 1964 77 The Week in Art by Daniel Thomas PROGRESSION MARKS THE LOCAL SCE YEAR ago I decided faarecoming exmonions prizes andof A that 1962 was less auactionartsaliC There can be few cities significant for Sydney art whril itself than a sudden in- reasaseasargittsey Sydne 's at good P s instance, is much Larger crease in the channels oftold it has vir-r communication. The art buttitri I lty amno publicu interest was there, and getting in its own One side effect is the along very nicely, but in mushrooming of new al- know it was there. claw% leries here. In 1963 01- 1%2 the public began to geongthaendnrNstewpcasrovitlenct French and British paint - The newspapers sprouted cities in Australialugs. first time In years books on I min an art dealer. The Von Bertouch Gallery at to main Ignorant Sydney new art columns: for the The trouble was that the Australian art became Newcastle is now very buyers gaily paid far freely available. Even firmly established: the city too much for the flimsy short movie films were be- is a rich one with some ing made. traditions of its own, but l tioightweights in the collec- n-say £600 where the In 1963 the films had more relevant Is the price should have been presence of an active pub- quietened down. Except lie gallery there fer thel to the T7000410.000 level f200-and refused to go up for the innovation of Alan six years, with its McCulloch's pedestrian past history of Australian art in University of the Air, television continues to pre- fer imported programmes to grappling with the local scene. When it does re- port briefly on a local ex- hibition it invariably pre- fers the gimmicky-pictures that move, pictures by prisoners-to the good. Book publishing in- Ye,41,.......1,44 WHAT'S (spi TODAY AND NEXT WIEN Art Gallery at NEW.: Permanent collection: Australian and lutes,. pointing nit ocutplute, Abertu,nal art, Oriental art. NewcasUe City Art GalgituNar Sculpture. ps.Dalt. Ealltrdr 152 Czag:tg5:47L.Conezforary Chinese Paintings. Idacetiarle Gallery, le GlIgh Street. Leon. _ Early Morn Gallery, 25 Gle.rAz.:aadialiwgion J Jo Pas*. Tamer', Illaalared Calor14rariChil Art (UNESCO). OPENING An Aagl.ler;t4.:gzen,5.7.ede,,Wales. Archibald. Wynn. and Selman annual Many more interesting Except the mast avant - From Australian pub- pictures pass through thelgarde, which they would ushers Virginia Spates dealers' hands than and Hod too risky. John Olsen, from Geor- ever seen publicly, glen House, was outstrmd- therefore one was grateful Mg! Longman's excellent for the sight at Clunc's of 8/ booklets seemed to be a few Drysdales and appearing every month; Nolans that had recently but there were many been sold there. others. Perhaps a sign of under - But a really major capitalisation (or of small event in 1963 was the store -rooms) was the birth of the luxurious marked tendency for deal - quarterly magazine Art ems, especially Barry Stern and Australia. Its third and the Dominion, to col: - issue redeemed it from the sign a lot of their stock decorative coffee - table to the art auctions held publication towards which so much more frequently In it was tending: we are 1963 than ever before. now seeing a lot of the The most publicised sue - current art, but more Im- portant the writing has become positive instead of tamely inoffensive. The magazine besides has a very, useful directory of there is another solution besides intelligent invest- ment In a good stock of paintings which can be profitably sat on for a few years: one can import from elsewhere. Either minor Melbourne painters or contemporary Formosans as the Domin- ion do (the promised Poles did not arrive), though the commercial tourist views from Israel, or the mysti- cal incompetence from In- dia scarcely deserved house room. Or else something better but necessarily more exuenslve like ' for the Renoir. A minor picture is not infected with the merit of its better fellows, though the absurd micas paid for Bradt Barth in this auction can only be explained this way. Values Lion was the Clune Gal- leries collection of Euro- pean_ paintings. Obviously If the supply of new one- man exhibitions is too low for the existing dealers The auction offered plenty of craftsmanship, but not a great deal of art, that is it offered fur- niture - paintings rather thanon. works of ththe ere ima is nothing wrong wrong with furnl- nati Now ture-paintings as long as they don't pretend above their staion, and as long as they don't cost too much. They never really lose all value; but they never increase greatly either. Sydney has plenty of people able to buy in the f5000-f10.000 range. If these people really want European work they should hoist their sIghts, if they continue to operate in the junior league of under £2000 they will make much better investments in Aus- tralian art than in any- from Europe at that price. thing that can be imported