PM Transcripts

TTLT HIS O.
January 1973
F-LIM Mld COLLEC0TION OF LIC2MOGD2TPH7S
The Prime inister today announced that the hustralian
Government had acquired for the future Australian National Gallery
one of the richest private collections of lithographs ever assembled.
The collection is that of 1ir. Felix Man, one of the
pioneers of modern photo-journalism, who first became interestod in
lithography in the early 1930' s and began putting together and
documenting his now famous collection.
Tho purchase price of the collection was 165,000 pounds
sterling (' 330,000). Items in the collection date from the beginings of
lithography and many are either unique or extremely rare. It is
believed that for quality and doA. th the collection has few rivals.
Its acquisition will place the Australian Nactional Gallery among the
leading centres of the world for the study of the history and
deovelopment of this art form.
Felix Man, well-known as a pioneer of photo-journalism,
and from 1930 to 1945 chief photorapher of Picture Post, began to
assemble in the 1930' s what is now probably the best known and most
extensive private collection of lithographs in the world. Mr. Man is
now 81. He is an acknowledged authority on the medium and has k1nown
personally many of the great artists of our time who have used
lithographic techniques. It has been long his wish to see the
collection housed intact in a major museunm.
, t::-ensive inquiries were made by tile Commonwealth Art
Advisory Doard before the decision to nurchase irwas taken. The
Director of the Hational Gallery, 1r. Ja mes iollison, and a member
of the Board, Mr. Fred illiams, visited Euro-e last November to
examine the collection in detail and personally asseoss its importance.
The collection constitutes a unique survey of the work of
the many artists who have made significant use of lithography. It
contains rarities which even great museums, such as the Dritish
Museums and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Now 7ork, do not own.
7hile other museums undoubtedly have fine collections of lithographs,
it is believed that few would rival or surpass the Man collection
in depth. ith the documentation accompanyin the collection, the
Australian 4ational Gallery is oll-placed to become one of the
leading world centres for the study of lithography.
C~ L 71 73hL" AU. i;. C. 17.