Vew from the chair: Speeches of Richard WL Austin

3 The role of a State Gallery (I) The 1988 blockbuster exhibitions In his inaugural speech, Richard Austin had defined the role of a State Gallery as being a place of intellectual stimulation and of pleasure, having a vital educational function, being a keeping place for the art of the present as well as of the past and being a place of broad social activity. These ideas were addressed in a series of speeches at exhibition openings, when there were major acquisitions of art works, and on occasions such as book launchings. In 1988 the Queensland Art Gallery presented a series of exhibitions to mark the Australian Bicentenary year and Expo 88 in Brisbane. These exhibitions provided an opportunity for Richard Austin to define the role of exhibitions, particularly the so called 'blockbuster', and to speculate on the need for a gallery such as Queensland's State Gallery to bring in exhibitions representing a wide range of artistic achievement. Speech to introduce the Governor-General, Sir Ninian Stephen, AK,GCMG,GCVO,KBE to open 'Masterpieces from the Louvre', 14 April 1988 NOTE: THIS EXHIBITION WAS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT TO THE AUSTRALIAN BICENTENARY AND EXPO 88. SEVENTY-THREE MAGNIFICENT BRONZES, TOGETHER WITH NINE IMPORTANT PAINTINGS, SPANNING THE PERIOD FROM THE SIXTEENTH TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURIES, WERE ASSEMBLED INTO AN EXHIBITION (NEGOTIATED AND ORGANISED BY DEPUTY DIRECTOR CAROLINE TURNER AND CURATORS FROM THE MUSEE DU LOUVRE). THE EXHIBITION WAS SHOWN ONLY IN BRISBANE, WHERE IT ATTRACTED LARGE CROWDS. THE EXHIBITION MARKED THE BEGINNING OF A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE SERIES OF EXHIBITIONS ORGANISED BY THE QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY WITH FRENCH MUSEUMS AND WITH THE STRONG SUPPORT OF THE FRENCH EMBASSY AND FRENCH GOVERNMENT. BY 1995 THE QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY HAD UNDERTAKEN MORE EXHIBITIONS WITH FRANCE THAN HAD ANY OTHER AUSTRALIAN ART MUSEUM. It gives me very great pleasure, on behalf of the Trustees and staff of the Queensland Art Gallery, to welcome you here this evening to the opening, by the Governor– General, of this magnificent exhibition, 'Masterpieces from the Louvre'. 1 It is gratifying, but perhaps not entirely surprising, to be able to state that this is the largest collection of art lovers that has ever gathered within these four walls. It is not 42