CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
OPENING OF TWENTIETH CENTURY KASTERS EXHIBITION
NATIONAL GALLERY CANBERRA 28 FEBRUARY 1986
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
IN 1983 1 HAD THE PLEASURE OF OPENING THE FIRST OF THE MAJOR
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS DISPLAYED HERE AT THE AUSTRALIAN
NATIONAL GALLERY THE CHINESE ENTOMBED WARRIORS EXHIBITION
WHICH WAS AN OUTSTANDING SUCCESS. THE FOLLOWING YEAR THE
GREAT IMPRESSIONISTS CAME TO THE GALLERY AND WAS ALSO HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL, ATTRACTING SOME 200,000 PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER
AUSTRALIA, AS WELL AS PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND NEW ZEALAND.
AND NOW, THE THIRD SUCH INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY MASTERS FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF
ART, NEW YORK IS ABOUT TO OPEN AND WILL, I AM SURE, BE
EQUALLY SUCCESSFUL.
WHEN THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL GALLERY OPENED TO THE PUBLIC
LESS THAN FOUR YEARS AGO, THERE WERE SCEPTICS WHO SAID THAT
IT WAS WELL NIGH IMPOSSIBLE TO ' CREATE' ANOTHER WORLD
RENOWNED ART MUSEUM. TO THOSE SCEPTICS I BELIEVE IT MUST
NOW BE CLEAR THAT THE GALLERY HAS ' COME OF AGE' AS AN
OUTSTANDING AND IMPRESSIVE ART MUSEUM THAT HAS ALREADY WON
WORLD WIDE RECOGNITION.
MANY OF YOU MAY RECALL THAT MR WHITLAM'S ACQUISITION OF BLUE
POLES WAS ALSO GREETED WITH CONSIDERABLE SCEPTICISM. BLUE
POLES IS A SPLENDID WORK OF ART AND IT IS NOW SO VALUABLE
THAT SELLING IT OFF COULD SUBSTANTIALLY SOLVE OUR CURRENT
ACCOUNT PROBLEMS.
DURING THIS CENTURY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW
YORK HAS BECOME ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS TREASURE
HOUSES. THE MUSEUM DID NOT HESITATE TO LEND THIS THE
CREAM OF ITS TWENTIETH CENTURY COLLECTION TO THE
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL GALLERY AND LATER TO THE QUEENSLAND ART
GALLERY.
THIS SUPERB EXHIBITION I-S MADE UP OF 71 PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS
AND SCULPTURES. AMONG THE WORKS THAT AUSTRALIANS WILL SEE
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS COUNTRY ARE THOSE BY THE MODERN
EUROPEAN MASTERS PICASSO, BONNARD, MATISSE, DERAIN,
BECKMANN AND PAINTINGS BY AMERICANS JOHN MARIN, JACKSON
POLLOCK AND WILLEM DE KOONING. THERE ARE ALSO WORKS BY THE
GREAT EARLY AMERICAN PAINTERS WHO INTRODUCED MODERN ART TO
AMERICA, MARSDEN HARTLEY AND GEORGIA O'KEEFFE.
WHILE A NEW WING TO HOUSE THIS COLLECTION IS BEING ADDED TO
THE METROPOL:' TAN MUSEUM IN NEW YORK, AUSTRALIA HAS THE
UNIQUE PRIVILEGE OF BORROWING THESE WORKS. FOR THIS
PRIVILEGE, WE ARE INDEBTED TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM, MR
PHILIPPE DE MONTEBELLO AND THE TRUSTEES AS WELL AS TO THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TWENTIETH CENTURY ART, MR
WILLIAM S. LIEBERMAN, WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM
MADE THIS ALL POSSIBLE.
SPECIAL THANKS MUST ALSO GO TO THE DIRECTORS AND STAFF OF
BOTH THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL GALLERY AND THE QUEENSLAND ART
GALLERY. THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK AND ENERGY THAT GOES
ON BEHIND THE SCENES OF THESE EXHIBITIONS IS OFTEN
OVERLOOKED AND SELDOM PRAISED.
THERE IS A FURTHER LINK BETWEEN THE GALLERY AND AMERICA
WHICH MAKES THE OPENING OF THIS EXHIBITION HERE PARTICULARLY
APPROPRIATE. ALL OF THE PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS THAT MAKE UP
THIS EXHIBITION HAVE BEEN DONATED TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM
BY PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES.
AS MY COLLEAGUE, THE MINISTER FOR ARTS, HERITAGE AND
ENVIRONMENT HAS SAID IN THE FOREWORD TO THE CATALOGUE,
AUSTRALIANS HAVE LONG ADMIRED THE GENEROSITY OF AMERICANS IN
THEIR SUPPORT OF THE ARTS. THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF GORDON
DARLING, THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL
GALLERY FOUNDATION HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.
I AM PLEASED TO SAY THE FOUNDATION UNDER ITS PRESIDENT,
RICHARD PAGET, IS MAKING EXCELLENT PROGRESS IN ENLISTING
TRUSTEES. ALREADY THE ASSOCIATION IS BEARING FRUIT WITH THE
GENEROUS DONATION TO THE GALLERY OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN
WORKS EARLIER THIS MONTH BY A M4AJOR US COMPANY SARA LEE
CORPORATION, CHICAGO FOR DISPLAY IN THE GALLERY AND
REGIONAL ART GALLERIES.
FINALLY, AND FOLLOWING ON FROM WHAT BARRY COHEN SAID
EARLIER, I SHOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO THE
GENEROUS SPONSORS OF THE EXHIBITION:
TO THE FLYING TIGERS AND TAA FOR THE TRANSPORT OF THE
ART WORKS AND COURIERS; AND
TO MCPHERSONS FOR UNDERWRITING PART OF THE COST OF
MOUNTING THE EXHIBITION IN CANBERRA.
MAY I ALSO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONGRATULATE THE ABC ON
COVERING THE OPENING OF THIS MAJOR INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.
IT NOW GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE IN FORMALLY DECLARING OPEN
THIS MAGNIFICENT EXHIBITION WHICH I AM SURE WILL PROVE TO BE
A REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR THE MANY AUSTRALIANS WHO I KNOW
WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE IT.
A*