Wieneke Archive Book 2 : Queensland National Art Gallery (Director: James Wieneke) 1950-51 Presscuttings

THE COURIFR-MAII.. FRIDAY. JAN. VI, 1951. ROBERT CAMPBELL LEAVING GALLERY ART LE: ka DER TO TAKE S.A. JOB mil. HOBERT CANIVRELL. first director of the Queensland A rt G a I ler y. has been appointed Director of the South Australian National Art Gallery in Adelaide. lie renovated Queensland's out-of-date gal- lery. and now goes to one of Australia's richest galleries. !from a number of outstanding, "I have had a wonderful ATill'LlIlang Fifteen months ago, in reception and support from November. 1949. Mr. Campbell he trustees and the public took up his £1000 a year post as the first Director of the fluring-my term." Mr. Campbell said yesterday. "1 shall be sorry Queensland gallery. to ve " Since then he ha. reno- Mr. Campbell gained his first sated and rejuvenated the art experience as a commercial antiquated caller. now the artist's assistant in Brisbane most modern In Australia. when he came from Scotland. Radical improvements In - at the age of 14. Now 49, he was:chide: Fluorescent. lighting, . director of the West Australlama grey -green colour scheme,. National Art Gallery before re- paintings hung at eye level, turning to Brisbane instead of being placed so that Announcement of a nets necks had to be craned to see Director far the gallery Is ex- !hens, accommodation foroaintings increased by at least are understood to peeled soon. Gallery trustees . 50 per cent., and space for the., . log applications for the poltion!public by 20 per cent. - The chairman of the gallery . . trustees 'Mr. E. A. Ferguson) said yesterday: "We very much ' regret that Mr. Campbell Is leaving Queensland. His pioneer work in renovation of the gal- lery has been nn Important step in its development. Mr. Campbell has raked the stand- ard of art presentation through- out. Queensland very consider- ably." rut- MAUI I' ll III-RSD AY. 11:11. 14)1I Art director QUEENSLAND'S National Art Gallery is losing a director who is leaving the city and the State culturally much richer for his short stay here. The gallery itself, with its modern lighting and spacious display of pictures, is a mem- orial of Mr. Campbell's en- thusiasm and bard work. As a lecturer, too. he has helped many people to enjoy pictures. It is good news that the trustees of the gallery have appointed a successor qualified to carry on the good work so well started by Mr. Campbell, BRISBANE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1951 Li -' - 'iv QUEENSLAND Art Gal- lery's most recent controversy seems to have blown over happily. One of the first acts of Direc- tor Robert Campbell when he came to the Job was to hide away the gooey, melodramatic picture "Evicted," thereby arous- ng. yells of protests from people Who said it mightn't be Art but they liked it anyway. Campbell stood firm. But now, as one of his last acts be- fore leaving Brisbane, he's quietly put "Evicted" back on the wall. And, as before, it's drawing crowds of people who maybe don't know Art. - but who know what they like. BRISBANE, TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1951 It Farewell to Campbell AS a farewell gesture to Robert Campbell, late director of the Queensland National Gallery, Mr. James Wieneke, of the Moreton Gal- leries, Edward Street, is exhibiting 26 of his watercolours from to- day. Perhaps we can blame Queens- laud's sunshine, but in these paintings we have a more colour- ful, although no less competent, Campbell than we knew when he first came to us 15 months ago. True, this capable craftsman has put on his dark glasses to create the sombre atmospherics of Approaching Clontarf," "Evening Clouds," "Rain Storm on the Range," "Squally Weather," and the like, but in studies such as "Sunburst" and "The Grape- pickers" we have an atom -blast of sunlight, warming and refreshing in its spontaneity. The mood macabre Is varied again In "Snow on Ben Lomond Range." "Cloudy Day, Tewan- tin," "Yachts Off Woody Point," and In a delightful little study of a sun -drenched street corner, just after rain, entitled "Old Fremantle." No matter what subject Mr. Campbell chooses, there is the same even quality and sincerity of vision. sParticularly pleasing is the easy freedom masking the technical competence of "Rain Storm on The Range." Although this Is Mr. Campbell In one of his "dark moods," T like it best of all paint- ing in this excellent show.-wx. 1