MS 50 Papers of Fred Williams: official roles and responsibilities, including the Australian National Gallery
• Summary • Administrative Information • Biographical Note • Associated Content • Box//Binder Description
Summary
Creator: Fred Williams 19271982
Title: Papers of Fred Williams: official roles and responsibilities, including the Australian National Gallery
Date Range: 19711982
Reference Number: MS 50
Extent: 14 boxes + 6 ring binders
Overview:
This collection of papers documents the artist Fred Williams’ participation in various administrative roles and art organisations. The collection demonstrates Fred Williams’ influential role as a founding Council member of the Australian National Gallery who helped develop the national collection and who took an active role in supporting Australian art and artists.
The public offices and responsibilities held by Fred Williams that are represented in this collection include:
1. The Commonwealth Art Advisory Board, where he was appointed a member in 1972. This was later replaced with the Acquisitions Committee for the Australian National Gallery; 2. The Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, where he was a member from 1973 until 1976;
1 3. The Council of the Australian National Gallery, where he was appointed a trustee in 1976 after serving on the Second Interim Council from 1974.
The material in this collection includes minutes from meetings, financial records, curatorial and acquisition reports, exhibition notes, various lists, grant applications, budgetary details, proposals, photographic reproductions of works of art, press clippings and correspondence with the Australian National Gallery, the Gallery directors and artists including James Gleeson.
Other organisations mentioned include;
• Australian Council of the Arts • Museum of Modern Art, New York • Print Council of Australia • Australian Gallery Directors Council • Australian National Gallery Building Committee • Victorian College of the Arts • Australian Centre for Photography • Gallery A • Art Gallery of South Australia • Art Gallery of New South Wales • Australian National University • Contemporary Art Society of Australia • Craft Association of Tasmania • Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
Original order has been maintained where possible.
Administrative Information
Access
Some restrictions apply. Contact the National Gallery of Australia Research Library reference service. Phone +61 2 6240 6530 Email [email protected]
Provenance
2 Possible gift accompanying an art acquisition from James Mollison.
Preferred Citation Note
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], National Gallery of Australia Research Library Archives, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Biographical Note
In 1971 the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board took responsibility for the National Collection under James Mollison, Acting Director of the Australian National Gallery. Under Gough Whitlam the Board was replaced with the Acquisitions Committee of the Australian National Gallery and in 1972 this consisted of James Gleeson (Chairman), and Messrs Leonard French, Clifford Last, James Mollison and Fred Williams.
Fred Williams was not on the first Interim Council of the Australian National Gallery as he had to wait for a vacancy, which occurred in August 1974 when he became a member of the Second Interim Council of the Australian National Gallery. He was appointed a trustee of the permanent Council of the Australian National Gallery in 1976.
The Visual Arts Board began as the Australian Council for the Arts in 1968, which expanded to incorporate other Commonwealth functions. Fred Williams was on this board from 1973 to 1976 and saw the Board become a statutory authority under the Australia Council Act in 1975. Amendments to the Act in 1976 gave the Council the authority to be the government’s advisory agency in the arts.
The Visual Arts Board is one of seven boards that comprise the Australia Council along with the Aboriginal Arts Board, Community Arts Board, Crafts Board, Literature Board, Music Board, and the Theatre Board.
Associated Content
Subject
3 Fred Williams; Art Administration; Art Acquisition; Building the National Gallery of Australia’s Collection; Visual Arts Board; Council of the Australian National Gallery.
Relationship to the National Gallery of Australia Research Library
There are links between this collection and other archives held in the Research Library. These include the Papers of the Australian Gallery Directors Council, Print Council of Australia, Gallery A, James Mollison, Marion Kaselle (Max Hutchinson Galleries) and the James Gleeson interviews.
Relationship to the National Gallery of Australia Collection
During the period of time Fred Williams served on the ANG Council several major works of art were acquired for the collection including Jackson Pollack’s Blue poles 1952 and the Gemini Print archive that later formed the Kenneth Tyler Printmaking Collection.
The works of art by Fred Williams that are held in the National Collection of the National Gallery of Australia are extensive. These include prints (etchings) undertaken with John Brack, drawings, oil paintings, watercolours, dyelines, linocuts and pages from the China Diary sketchbook.
Box Description
Box 1
• Visual Arts Board 11 th meeting 1973 • Visual Arts Board 14 th meeting March 1974 Adelaide South Australia • Visual Arts Board 1973 • Visual Arts Board 1978 • Visual Arts Board 19801981 • Visual Arts Board 20 th meeting, 27 th September 1974 • Visual Arts Board agenda 18 th meeting Friday, 26 th July 1974 • Visual Arts Board agenda 17 th meeting 27 th , 28 th June 1974 Sydney NSW
Box 2
• Visual Arts Board agenda 18 th meeting, Friday, 26 th July 1974 • Correspondence 1973 • Financial statements 1973 • Minutes, applications 1973 • Submissions, application grants 1973
4 Box 3
• Visual Arts Board copies of correspondence, exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria 1973 • Estimates and expenditure, 1973 correspondence for the Australian Council of the Arts, John Baily, Art Gallery of New South Wales • Visual Arts Board 1973 • Correspondence with John Baily, James Mollison, David Thomas, Dick Richards, Museum of Modern Art regarding exhibition of photography, agenda items, meeting minutes. • Visual Arts Board, 1974 correspondence and meeting minutes • 1974 Australian Council for the Arts submissions, Print Council of Australia minutes, Australian Gallery Directors Conference meeting minutes, July 1974 • Visual Arts Board report, Chairman’s report on overseas tour, April 1974 • Visual Arts Board meeting minutes, Report of Public Works Committee • Advertisements for exhibition grants, grant application for Printmaker’s workshop
Box 4
• Visual Arts Board, 1975, news releases, report on Gallery building, ANG Interim Council meeting, media releases on Gallery’s Blue poles acquisition, curator’s acquisition reports • Correspondence 1975, including Fred Williams • ANG Building Committee meeting minutes 1975 • 1975 report on ANG opening events • Sculpture exhibition 1975 subcommittee report • ANG interim council reports 1975 • Visual Arts Board meeting minutes • Visual Arts Board 9 th meeting, agenda • Visual Arts Board 16 th meeting, 24 May 1974
Box 5
• Visual Arts Board 10 th August 1973 agenda item • Exhibition indemnity report 1973, exhibition programs including university exhibitions • Visual Arts Board, 3 rd November 1973, schedule of submissions, Queensland • Visual Arts Board 28 th March 1974, grants • Visual Arts Board 22 nd February 1974, grants, April 1974 • Visual Arts Board 7 th meeting 1314, 28 September 1973 • Visual Arts Board second public hearing, Queensland Brisbane 23 November 1973
Box 6
• Visual Arts Board public hearing Adelaide SA, 2 nd November 1974 • National Endowment for the Arts, Museum program categories of funding 1974 • Special project grants 1974 • Visual Arts Board 19731974
5 • Australian National Gallery Council meetings 1979, minutes April June 1979, February March 1979, August 1979
Box 7
• Australian National Gallery Council meetings 1979, minutes November • Press statement, field trip reports, collection reports 19781979 • Submissions, acquisition reports and travel reports relating to Australian Gallery Directors Council 19781979 • Australian National Gallery Council meetings JuneSeptember 1980
Box 8
• Australian National Gallery Council meeting minutes 19801981 • Exhibition catalogues and selected reviews • Australian National Gallery Building Committee minutes 19761977, 1979 1980 • Interim Council Meeting minutes 1976
Box 9
• Australian National Gallery Building Committee minutes 1976 • Australian National Gallery Council meeting minutes 1978 • Australian Government Council general file 1972 • Correspondence Art Gallery of South Australia, ANU, Contemporary Art Society of Australia, Museum of Modern Art, Department of Foreign Affairs, Craft Association of Tasmania, Australian Institute of Architects • Australian Gallery Directors Council general files 1972
Box 10
• Australian National Gallery Council meetings 1973, 1975 and general files 1977 • Curatorial reports 1975
Box 11
• Australian Gallery Directors Council general files 1978 • Copies of news articles on arts • Draft annual report for the ANG • Australian National Gallery publication committee meeting minutes 1978 • Australian National Gallery acquisitions, Victorian College of the Arts meeting minutes, copies of Imprint 1978 • Minutes of the Victorian Caltex Art Fund 1978 and applications • Victorian Ministry for the Arts Planning Committee agenda and minutes 1978 • Press clippings • Australian National Gallery monthly financial returns 1978 • Arts research training and support annual report 19781979
Box 12
• Australian Gallery Directors Council general files 1979
6 • Press clippings • Victorian College of the Arts meeting minutes 1979, Director’s Planning Conference 1979 • Australian National Gallery Building Committee minutes 1979 • Australian National Gallery report on overseas visit 1979, summary and reports of expenditure for acquisitions 19781980 • Australian National Gallery Council background papers
Box 13
• Australian National Gallery acquisition reports 1980 • Australian National Gallery Council meeting minutes 1980 • Australian National Gallery Council press cuttings 1980
Ring Binder 1
• Box of corresponding photographs, No. 1 199 (including two miscellaneous images No. 125 and 198)
Ring Binder 2
• Box of corresponding photographs, No. 200 399
Ring Binder 3
• Box of corresponding photographs, No. 400 599
Ring Binder 4
• Box of corresponding photographs, No. 600 799
Ring Binder 5
• Box of corresponding photographs, No. 800 999
Ring Binder 6
• Box of corresponding photographs, No. 1000 1121
7