Museum of Brisbane hunts for artwork

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF BRISBANE

Museum of Brisbane (MoB) is on the hunt for artwork from former tree lopper and sign writer-turned-artist Robert Brownhall for the first survey of his 20 years of painting.

The 42-year-old Brookfield-based artist has painted familiar vistas and everyday scenes from Brisbane since the early 1990s, yet until recently, retained his day job as a tree surgeon.

mc/k art director’s Alison Kubler and Louise Martin-Chew, who have reviewed and followed Brownhall’s work over the past two decades, are curating the exhibition for MoB.

Martin-Chew said the main artwork MoB was hoping to locate was Brownhall’s The Red Garter, painted during the 1990s and originally sold through Doggett Street Studios.

The artwork is a painted street view of the iconic Fortitude Valley venue The Red Garter, which opened around 1988 and was a fixture of Brisbane’s nightlife for decades before recently reopening as Love and Rockets.

“We expect that The Red Garter will be housed in a private collection somewhere in Brisbane,” Ms Martin-Chew said.

“Recognition of familiar Brisbane places is key to Brownhall’s work and The Red Garter is a street scene many will remember. It was an iconic building, and represented the edgy nocturnal life that played out after dark in the Valley district,” she said.

Martin-Chew said other works she was hoping to locate for the exhibition included Girl in a Phone Booth, Fortitude Valley 2001 and Reading about the War 2003.

The Robert Brownhall exhibition, which will feature around 60 works, is scheduled to open at MoB on 11 March, 2011.

MoB is located on the ground floor of 157 Ann Street. MoB is open 10am-5pm, seven days a week. Admission is free.

Those with information regarding the location of Robert Brownhall artwork can contact mc/k art via email on mckartconsulting@gmail.com.

For further information about MoB visit www.museumofbrisbane.com.au or phone Council on (07) 3403 8888.