A unique slice of Australian art history-the Martin Gallery Archive-is part of the art collection of Townsville's James Cook University , looked after by the Special Collections section of the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library . Amassed by the late pharmacist , Ralph Martin, it consists of paintings , prints , more than 800 photos , exhibition ephemera , correspondence , receipt books , newspaper clippings and 192 files on artists .
A large part is on display on level 1 at the library , one of several showcases, above , filled with a wide variety of interesting items.
In l972, before the city had a public gallery , Martin opened the gallery in a room at the back of his chemist shop in Flinders Street , Townsville , helped by his wife and two daughters .
At first, he concentrated on northern artists , over the years establishing a close relationship with artists far and wide , both buying and displaying much of their work .
Once or twice a year, he would pack up his van and set off south on art buying trips .
One of the prominent artists with whom he had a close relationship was Hungarian-born , naturalised Australian printmaker , author and art educator , Desiderius Orban ( 1884-l986 ) .
In Paris in l906 , Orban regularly attended the studio of American novelist, poet, playwright and art collector, Gertrude Stein , mixing with Spanish painter Pablo Picasso , French visual artist Henri Matisse and French avant-garde painter, writer, filmmaker, magazine publisher, poet, and typographist closely associated with Dada, Francis Picabia .
In Budapest, Orban made his studio a centre for the artists who formed the group The Seekers (Keresõk), which evolved into The Eights (Nyolcak) in 1911; propagating modern trends, they introduced post-impressionism, cubism and fauvism into Hungarian art.
Orban served in the Austro-Hungarian army during the Balkan War in 1912, and again in 1914, becoming an officer.
In the decade after World War I, Orban exhibited his post-impressionist paintings in Czechoslovakia, Romania and Hungary. He was awarded the gold medal at a 1929 international exhibition at Barcelona, Spain. In 1931 he established the Arts and Crafts Academy in Budapest, training students in the fine, decorative and industrial arts, and served as its director.
To escape Nazism , Orban in l939 migrated to Australia with his wife, a dermatologist, and son , at a time when Australian ex-patriate artists were returning from war-torn Europe. He established an influential art school at Circular Quay in Sydney,at which he imparted radical artistic philosophies gave radio talks on the ABC, promoted adult education and presented summer schools at the University of New England .
The Art Gallery of Ballarat subsequently staged an exhibition ,The Three O's, which looked at his influence on Australians John Olsen and John Ogburn.
There are 32 letters from Orban to Martin in the collection . Martin bought one of Orban's paintings ,Separation of the Waters , for his own collection .
Well known Townsville author, Trisha Fielding , a James Cook University Special Collections Library Officer, has written several articles about the Martin Gallery Archive for the JCU Library News.
Mr Martin's Mangoes is mentioned in the heading of one which is a reference to Martin having in l978 sent a case of mangoes to Orban in Sydney . Other artists also received mangoes .
