20 January 2011

Ellestan Dusting's indigenous art cache unearthed

| johnboy
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The Australian broke the news on the large numbers of significant indigenous artworks and artefacts found in the Red Hill garage of the former private secretary to Sir Paul Hasluck when he was Governor-General.

Ms Dusting, 83, is now being cared for in a nursing home. The administrators of her estate discovered the collection just before Christmas and donated it to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in Canberra.

The institute kept four paintings, including a 183cm x 123cm work by Wadeye artist Simon Nganbe. The Legend of Kumangoor was painted in the early 1960s and presented to Hasluck near the end of his term as territories minister, according to AIATSIS. Two other works are by Northern Territory artists and the fourth, Honey Ant Dreaming, was painted by West Australian artist Rosie Nabanardi.

Hopefully as the institutions help themselves Ms Dusting is well provided for.

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The ABC had the same story yesterday in which the article stated that the art works were now in safe hands. If the art works have been in someones home for 50 years untouched, then isnt that safe, or is just the fact they are returned to relatives who have no track record of art handling make them art currator experts?

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