The importance of a collection of Indigenous art now held by the Department of Communities was highlighted when the works were recently catalogued.

Arts Queensland’s Acting Government Curator Tim Morrell visited the offices of the former Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy (DATSIP) to photograph and document the collection after DATSIP merged with the Department of Communities at the end of last year.

The collection includes paintings, linocuts, lithographs and a large batik, by distinguished Queensland artists including Jenuarrie, Dennis Nona, Gilbert Jack and the late Ron Hurley.

The Dennis Nona linocuts were acquired before the artist’s rapid rise to national and international prominence. He is represented in the current Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery.

Less well-known, but of great interest to followers of contemporary Queensland Indigenous art is the Cherbourg painter Lionel Doyle, represented by two paintings in the collection. A distinctive painting style emerged from the Cherbourg Mission during the latter half of the 20 th century, and Doyle’s canvas boards helped to promote it to a wider audience.

The biggest surprise was the smallest painting, an oval bark measuring 21.5 x 57 cm by Charlie Brinken (1910-1993) of Port Keats in the Northern Territory. A bit of research turned up a similar work by the same artist being offered for sale by one of the leading dealers of Australian Aboriginal art in Paris.

Many State Government departments own works of art, which are displayed in their offices. The best of these are now included in ArtWorks Queensland, the state’s collection of public art that exists outside the traditional museum and gallery system.

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