PM Transcripts

P. M. No. 14/ 1961
AUSTRALIAN EXCHIBITION FOR TATE GALLERY, LONDON
Statement by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon, R. G. Menzies.
The Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, said today that while he
was in London for the Prime Ministers' Conference he had taken
the opportunity to discuss with the Chairman of Trustees of
the Tate Gallery, Sir Colin Anderson, and the Director, Sir
John Rothenstein, arrangements for an exhibition of Australian
art to be held in the Tate Gallery in the i glish winter of
1962. The Prime Minister said the exhibition would comprise
about 200 paintings and that the Commonwealth Art Advisory
Board had already given considerable thought to its
composition. There would be a small section of Australian
historical paintings and a few paintings of the impressionist
period but the main emphasis would be on contemporary Australian
paintings. It was also hoped to include paintings by young
Australian artists whose work is comparatively unknown outside
Australia. The Prima Minister also said that never before had an
Australian exhibition of the scope of the one proposed been
shown in London and he was grateful to the Tate Gallery
authorities for this opportunity of bringing to the British
public an outline of Australian artistic achievement.
The Prime Minister added that the exhibition would most
likely be shown at centres outside London aftor-the Tate
showing. CANBERRA,
14th April 1961.