The Quiet Force Behind Australia’s Blockbuster Exhibitions

"A friend once described Bob Edwards as a cross between Benny Hill and Field Marshal Montgomery. The reference was to Edwards' good humour and joviality masking an iron resolve to get the job done.

"Bob who?" most people would probably say - even the 10 million Australians who visited the most famous blockbuster art exhibitions held in Australia. For although Edwards kept a low profile as head of Art Exhibitions Australia (AEA) - the body responsible for arranging the exhibitions - he was the key figure behind them. During his two spells as AEA chief executive, Edwards helped organise The Gold of the Pharaohs, The Entombed Warriors from China, The French Impressionists, as well as Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Renoir and Matisse exhibitions.

Patrick McCaughey, former director of the NGV, says Edwards enjoys international credibility among museum directors and curators that few Australians have had.

"The fact Australians can now see shows of Matisse and Van Gogh and God knows who else is because of what Bob as done. More than any other single person, he has raised the standard of exhibitions in Australia."

"...Speakers recalled how the 50 major exhibitions Edwards helped bring to Australia had generated a turnover of about $75 million, plus $25 million worth of private sponsorship. That's a $100 million return on the one-off $1 million investment from the Fraser Government in 1980." From: Maslen, G. Mr up and running eases off. The Age. Friday December 8, 2000‍

"He rejects criticisms that the day of the blockbuster is over, or that the international shows brought out here are subject to extravagant hype.

'...But you have to think how difficult it is for a gallery with a limited collection and limited funds to sustain an ongoing program. The cost of acquiring art is so enormous that for a modern museum to attract an audience and give people insights to the world of art it must bring the best of that art here from the International network of galleries and museums.'

'Why,' he asks, 'should Australians be denied access to the world's heritage because some believe they should only see what is in a local gallery? I don't think that's acceptable. On my last trip to America, several gallery curators were amazed at our attendance figures for the Renoir exhibition which attracted 380,000 people. They said that had the pictures stayed on the walls of their museum perhaps 20,000 people would have seen them.'

'In a way,' they said, 'Australia can be an extension of our audience and it is much more satisfying for us to feel that 380,000 people have had the chance to appreciate these works.'

From: Maslen, G. Master of Arts. Good Weekend, May 13 1995

So what does he get out of all the time and effort he puts in?

'It's the feeling you get as an anonymous person when you mingle with a crowd at a museum on a Sunday afternon who are enjoying something you made possible. There are times when a gallery might have up to 7,000 people visit an exhibition on a Sunday. Hearing their comments, feeling that they are inspired, stimulated..It's a very personal response.'

'Life has been good to me, so I feel I have the chance give something back, for people to enjoy. I've also had years of experience at this game and it would seem silly to waste it if I were simply to retire and sit around at home.'
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From: Maslen, G. Master of Arts. Good Weekend, May 13 1995
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