Vew from the chair: Speeches of Richard WL Austin

years, to have a legal drink outside working hours-one of the great triumphs for liberalism, spelt, of course, with a small 'I'.' After that, our paths diverged. His led upward into the bright firmament of Federal politics, mine downward into the dark recesses of Government service, and they did not converge again until 1987, when we were both appointed Chairmen of our respective Art Galleries-Canberra and Brisbane. In the meantime, of course, Mr Whitlam had led his party to victory at the polls in 1972. In my letter of congratulation on this achievement, I quoted a couple of lines of Latin poetry which served to indicate my expectation that he would prove to be a fearless Prime Minister. And so it turned out. One of his first political acts was to sweep away decades of accumulated reluctance to face reality and to recognise Mainland China-an act which has brought in its wake great cultural benefits to Australia. The exhibitions 'The Genius of China', 'The Entombed Warriors' and, more recently, 'Treasures from the Shanghai Museum' will long be remembered. On the artistic side, he laid the foundation stone and introduced the legislation for the building of the Australian National Gallery and had the vision to establish the Australia Council for the Arts. As that well-known author Ngaio Marsh put it: 'In 1972 Australia was galvanised by a Prime Minister who not only believed in cultural nationalism but was willing to provide funds to make it flourish'. It is a pity that this organisation no longer contains the words 'for the Arts' in its title, and therefore feels able to support from time to time activities of doubtful relevance to the original concept. Well, sic transit is all one can say about that. Another of Mr Whitlam's memorable decisions was to authorise and, indeed, to encourage, the purchase by the Australian National Gallery of Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles for some $1.3 million-a decision which shocked the old guard and delighted the new, and gave rise to the whole gamut of opinions ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. The painter Russell Drysdale called it 'priceless'. Another, Sali Herman, said 'the whole thing just stinks'. The Curator of 20th Century Art at the National Gallery in Washington called the purchase 'a brilliant move, a triumph of imaginative decision making'. On the other hand, a Senator from South Australia said it was a reflection of the Government's complete irresponsibility in the outlay of public monies. Well, quot homines, tot sententiae. It can now be stated with complete confidence that the purchase has been amply vindicated, both as to price and as to intrinsic value. It has been said of Jackson Pollock himself that· he not only broke the ice but set a canon of intensity for generations to come, and that is exactly what Blue Poles has done for gallery acquisitions policy in this country. These are only some of Mr Whidam's encounters with culture. I have already spoken of his chairmanship of the Australian National Gallery. Before that, in 1983, he had gone to Paris as our Ambassador to UNESCO, where he played an active role in many spheres, including the World Heritage Committee. A French friend of mine, close to the art world, wrote to me of his appointment: 'You have sent us a veritable giant of a man, not only in body but also in mind'. 73