2007-08 Report

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COLLECTION QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY ANNUAL REPORT 2007–08 23
DOCUMENTING AND MANAGING THE COLLECTION
The Registration section continued to provide support in
the physical and legal management of the Collection and
of objects on loan to the Gallery or under consideration
for acquisition.
A total of 104 objects were lent from the Collection to
regional, national and international galleries for
exhibition purposes, with a substantial increase in the
number of works exhibited overseas. Takashi Murakami's
And then, and then and then and then and then1994 was
loaned to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles,
for the '© Murakami' exhibition and to other international
locations.
Some 12 works by Emily Kame Kngwarreye were loaned
to the National Museum of Australia for the 'Utopia:
The Genius of Emily Kame Kngwarreye' exhibition at the
National Museum of Modern Art, Osaka (February–April
2008); the National Art Centre, Tokyo (May–July 2008);
and the National Museum of Australia, Canberra
(August–October 2008). Vivan Sundaram's Four black
boxes for the family (detail from The Sher Gil archive)
1995–97 was lent to the International Center of
Photography, New York, for 'Archive Fever: Uses of the
Document in Contemporary Art' (January–May 2008).
Fiona Hall's Words1990, Medicine bundle for the non-
born child 1993–94 and Tender2003–06 were lent to the
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, for the 'Fiona Hall:
When My Boat Comes In . . .' exhibition (March–June
2008); the City Gallery Wellington (June–October 2008);
and the Christchurch Art Gallery (December 2008 –
March 2009) in New Zealand.
A total of 218 objects were on loan to Queensland
Government offices as at 30 June 2008.
Loans for exhibitions at QAG and GoMA totalled 763
objects and included the balance of works for 'Making it
Modern: The Watercolours of Kenneth Macqueen' and
items for the 'Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art Award
2008'. Loans for 'Andy Warhol' were transported from
collections in Australia, the United States and Japan.
The first loan of 20 objects from the Shanghai Museum
was returned to China and replaced by the lender with a
further 20 objects for the Asian art display. Insurance
coverage was maintained for the ongoing Queensland
regional tour of 'Myth to Modern: Bronzes from the
Queensland Art Gallery Collection'. A total of 714 objects
were received for consideration for acquisition and
included items from Austria, China, England, India, Japan,
Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan and the
United States.
The fit-out of the Collection storage facility at GoMA
continued with the installation of sliding rack storage for
rolled paintings, works on paper and textiles, while the
transfer of Collection objects to GoMA also continued.
CONSERVING THE COLLECTION
The Conservation section continued its key role in the
preventive conservation and treatment of the Gallery's
Collection, completing a number of projects in preparation
for exhibition, loan and regional touring programs.
The recent treatment of Brett Whiteley's Self portrait
showing seven incarnations1970 has provided a new
insight into the materials of the artist and, most
excitingly, written documentation by the artist that was
previously hidden under layers of paint. Over time the
painting had become considerably warped, with one
corner of the work projecting three centimetres from the
wall when hung. The structure of the art work made
correction of the warp challenging. The solution involved
screwing a custom-made steel inner frame to the back of
the painting to pull the structure back into alignment.
This addition can be easily removed and no original parts
of the painting have been compromised. Interestingly,
the 'home-made' structure of this painting is unusual for
Whiteley. He is well known for using hollow-core doors to
paint on (such as those used in Portrait of Arthur Rimbaud
1970–71 also in the Gallery's Collection), which are
structurally sound.
Conservation treatment on Lena Yarinkura's Tree form
2002, to prepare it for display, has involved the
development of an innovative method for the safe display
of fragile animals, made from woven plant fibres, on the
work's thin tree structure. The animal figures were
originally attached to the tree with a natural gum resin
which did not have sufficient strength to hold the pieces
in place. Consequently, a new method to attach and
detach the animal figures was investigated, and a display
technique involving the use of small, rare earth magnets
has been successfully trialled. The method continues to
be adjusted on mock-up figures to ensure that the
locations and angles of all magnets are accurate and
precise. The art work will be treated once all placements
are confirmed.
In preparation for the exhibition 'Picasso & his collection',
Pablo Picasso's La Belle Hollandaise1905 was reframed
in the silver gilt frame in which it was originally purchased
in 1959. An article about the reframing was published in
the June issue of Artlines, the Gallery's magazine.
attrib. to Hasegawa School
Japan active late 17th century
Pair of six fold screens: Scenes from
the Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji)
(detail: left hand screen)
late 17th century (Edo period)
Ink, gold and colours on paper on
six-fold wooden framed screens
122 x 276cm (right hand screen);
119.8 x 275.7cm (left hand screen)
Purchased 2007 with funds from the
Henry and Amanda Bartlett Trust
through the Queensland Art Gallery
Foundation