The Art Collections
[ UniNews Vol. 12, No. 8
19 May - 2 June 2003 ]
Treasures: Highlights of the Cultural Collections of the University of Melbourne one of a commemorative suite of books celebrating the University of Melbournes 150th Anniversary presents in a handsome and lavishly illustrated volume the many treasures of the Universitys collections and museums of art, rare books and artefacts dating from antiquity to the current era. Edited by Chris McAuliffe and Peter Yule, it was published this month by The Miegunyah Press, an imprint of Melbourne University Publishing. This outline of the Universitys art collections, by Chris McAuliffe, is among more than 130 articles in the book, authored by leading experts in their fields.
The University of Melbourne Art Collection includes more than 25,000 items drawn from cultures around the globe and periods ranging from antiquity to the present. As a collection of collections many significant groups of art works have been gifted to the University as opposed to having been acquired individually the organisational structure of the University Art Collection is in one sense thematic as well as being based on period, geography, artist or medium.
The sheer diversity of the collection which includes the fine arts, crafts and ethnographic material can occasionally seem daunting. At the same time, the stories behind the acquisition of individual items are often human in their scale. While the art collection represents, to a certain extent, an institutions history, many art works have been collected through the agency of individuals or groups within the University community, such as academic departments or student and alumni organisations.
At the time of the Universitys foundation, civic leaders such as Sir Redmond Barry, the first Chancellor, saw cultural activities as having socially adhesive qualities.1 Along with libraries, museums and other public institutions, a University would cultivate and provide direction for the citizens of the new colony. Many years later, this attribution of civic and ennobling functions to art persisted in the thinking of Samuel Arthur Ewing, who donated his art collection to the student union in the hope that our youth may be inspired with the beauty as well as a deeper love of the country by the works of our artists.2
The spirit of the University
A more simple role for art at the University was envisaged by the Deputy Chancellor, Sir John Latham, in 1935, when he declared that, If the surroundings of a university were beautiful, then the spirit of the university would be better than if the surroundings were merely utilitarian.3 With a significant number of art works located in buildings across the campus, or about its grounds, it is certainly the case that the collection adds to the amenity of the campus. The ceremonial aspects of campus life have also contributed to the collection, whether in the form of portraits, presentations or commissions.
While the civic humanism that propelled the University in its early years has waned in an increasingly instrumental environment, the campus has remained a hub for cultural activities such as art exhibitions, theatrical and musical productions, literary journals, film societies and arts festivals. The University continues to see such activities as evidence of its cultural leadership, with its many collections now being part of the nations cultural heritage. The opening of a University Art Gallery in 1975 established a regular calendar of art exhibitions which has grown into a major program of display, education and publication on the visual arts at the recently constructed Ian Potter Museum of Art.
Despite its size, the University Art Collection is not encyclopaedic; it does not systematically seek to present an unbroken narrative of the history of art. Instead, it tells multiple stories of research, teaching, acquisition, commission and benefaction each of which reflects shifting visions of the role of art and education alike.
Many items now included in the art collection were originally collected by academic staff. The significant ethnographic items held in the Leonhard Adam and Donald Thomson collections, for example, were gathered during the course of research or for teaching purposes. A growing appreciation of the value of Indigenous culture, along with the recognition of the outstanding achievements of contemporary Aboriginal artists, has lead to such items being displayed in an art gallery rather than classroom context. Indirectly, research activity has made the University a patron of the arts; renowned botanical artist Margaret Stones, for example, received an important early commission through the Department of Botany.
More deliberately, the University has commissioned art works, often in conjunction with building programs. Across the campus, public sculpture and architecture are united in buildings such as Wilson Hall, the Baillieu Library and the Sidney Myer Asia Centre. An artist-in-residence program has seen prominent artists such as Robert Hunter, Gareth Sansom, Mike Parr and Susan Norrie produce works in studios on the campus. In 1999, the University of Melbourne was the principal organiser of the first Melbourne International Biennial, a major international arts event. This project built on a history of ambitious visual arts activities, such as the international cultural exchanges conducted by Asialink, and echoed earlier cultural festivals in which the University had been involved, such as the 1956 Olympic Arts Festival.
New cultural economy
The growth of the Universitys involvement in contemporary art has paralleled the national development of a public gallery network. The formation of the Australia Council in the early 1970s, the development of art galleries across the country, the growth in arts education, the establishment of arts policies at all levels of government and the emergence of what is now called the culture industry have all contributed to a growing audience for what is now a significant component of the Australian arts economy. Melbourne is a dramatically different city from Redmond Barrys day, but the University continues to contribute to this new cultural economy, offering new degrees in arts management, curatorship, conservation and art history. The many connections between this teaching activity and the University Art Collection are a testament to the benefits of art on campus, extending well beyond the simple notion of decoration and amenity.
Bequests form the backbone of the University Art Collection, bringing substantial numbers of high quality art works. Reflecting the passions, personalities and expertise of collectors, such bequests offer insights not only into art history but also into the development of taste and patronage in Australia. The Ewing collection, with its many pastoral landscapes, shows the hallmarks of Edwardian nationalism. The Russell and Mab Grimwade collection, which focuses on the development of colonial Victoria, reveals a patriotic respect for the pioneers of European settlement. Other gifts, from artists or their heirs, have the character of a study collection, with numerous studies and preparatory works by artists such as Rupert Bunny, for example, offering students valuable insights into the more private practice of the studio. Such material, along with the collection as a whole, continues to provide students with a valuable research resources and has generated significant publication.
With a broad commitment to intellectual freedom, it is not surprising that the Universitys Art Collection reflects something of the autonomy of individual departments and academics. Without any formal, centralised control of matters of aesthetics, the commission or purchase of art works may reflect local interests and histories. The Australian Centre, for example, houses fine portraits of Australian poets and authors. In addition, many of the Universitys colleges of residence have developed their own substantial collections of art.
Formalisation of the collection
The inaugural Herald Professor of Fine Arts, Joseph Burke, suggested that the donation of the Ewing collection in 1938 marked the arrival of the first significant art collection on campus.4 The formation of a Works of Art Committee in 1966 saw the advent of a systematic address to issues such as inventory, cataloguing and acquisition. Under the chairmanship of Ray Marginson, this committee sought to establish a focus for the collection, conservation and display of art on the campus.
The opening of the University Art Gallery in 1975 and the establishment of the Ian Potter Art Conservation Centre in 1990 were two more important steps in the formalisation of the University Art Collection. Only six years ago, the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee published a report lamenting the parlous state of many University collections. These Cinderella collections were often little known and poorly serviced. Today, with a significant number of staff, using new computer database technologies and extensive professional networks throughout the public gallery system of Australia, the management of the University Art Collection extends through such diverse tasks as inventory, significance assessment, conservation, collection research, loans, display, education and publication.
Footnotes
1 Ann Galbally, Redmond Barry; An Anglo-Irish Australian, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, 1985, p. 87.
2 Quoted in Joseph Burke, Introduction, University of Melbourne, Catalogue of Works of Art 1971, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, 1971, p. xiii.
3 Stained-Glass Window. Mr Leckies Gift to the University, Age, 3 September 1935, p. 11.
4 Ibid., p. xiii.
Dr Chris McAuliffe is Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne.
Treasures: Highlights of the Cultural Collections of the University of Melbourne (retail price $120.00) currently can be purchased at a discounted rate through the University Bookroom.
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