British Council British Council Visual Arts

An exhibition of prints and drawings from the Wakefield Collection selected by James Laver, with advice from Campbell Dodgson of the British Museum. This Collection of prints and works on paper comprised the first works of art purchased for the British Council and was funded by a donation of £3,000 from the industrialist Lord Wakefield. A catalogue, with a brief introduction by Major Longden, then Director of the Fine Arts Department, accompanied the show. No ISBN number

The exhibition was toured extensively in New Zealand; other than the venues shown below the tour included Christchurch, Invercargill, New Plymouth, Hawera, Palmerston North and Tauranga. A selection of works was assembled for a single day's showing in Dannevirke, Takapan and Waipukuran.

For the Fijian showing the exhibition was edited down to 50 etchings and wood engravings. Following the showing in Suva the exhibition travelled to Lautoka, Vatukola and Nausori.

Reviews

The exhibition was opened in the National Gallery, Adelaide, on August 6th, by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Mellis Napier. The Director of the National Gallery reported that interest in the exhibition was great enough to justify the special opening of the Gallery on Sundays. The critic of the Adelaide Advertise said that never before had Australians had the opportunity to see so wide a range of contemporary British watercolours, drawings and graphic art. A reprint of the catalogue has been ordered; the first edition of 6000 copies being insufficient.

Following its tour of Tasmania, the Quarterly Report of the British Council in Australia remarked that 'The Wakefield Collection has not roused much interest in the main capitals which have good collections of similar work themselves'.

Wuerttembergusche Abendzeitung (21 February 1951