Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00148:reg:2017:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00148
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2017 (pt 14/81)
Character Range: 76894–79761

and the replacement panels were designed within Bunning & Madden's office by Arthur Robb, ostensibly as part of the architectural design rather than as artworks, to avoid scrutiny by the Art Advisory Board.  The panels, installed in 1968, have striking patterns of circles, diamonds, crosses and other shapes, based on gladiator's shields, and echoing the geometric patterns in Leonard French's windows.[58]

Figure 26.  Sketch plan, National Library of Australia, Ground Floor, 1968
Source:  National Library of Australia, nla.obj-144067167

The fountain opposite the entry steps proposed by Robert Woodward (designer of subsequent water features at the High Court and National Gallery) was similarly rejected by the Art Advisory Board, and the Bunning & Madden office designed the final version.

Tapestries for the interior of the foyer were originally commissioned from Jean Lurçat, but he died in 1966, and the commission was offered to Mathieu Matégot, generally considered as Lurçat's successor.  The three tapestries by Matégot were designed to harmonise with Leonard French's windows, and Matégot was asked by the Library's Council (who did not agree with Bunning's concept that national symbols were redundant in the Library's artwork) to portray the Australian experience.  The tapestries are described at Section 2.2 above.  The tapestries were commissioned in 1966 and hung in 1968.[59]

The Henry Moore sculpture, 'Two piece reclining figure No. 9', was commissioned for the front of the Library, and correspondence between Moore and Bunning's office indicates that Moore agreed to a location to the north-east of the front, to avoid conflict with Tom Bass's sculpture over the entrance.[60]  Moore subsequently also endorsed the final detailed placement.  Another factor in the placement of the Moore sculpture was apparently the antipathy of the Chairman of the Library Board, Grenfell Price, to modern art—Price called the Moore piece 'Henrietta' and described it as 'gutless and spineless', and wanted it as far away from the Library as he could get it.[61]

On 15 August 1968, Prime Minister John Gorton opened the National Library on its four-hectare site.  Gorton referred to it as '$8 million without the books', and it had taken seven years to plan and build.  Harold White declared 'the new building is like the promised land after forty years in the wilderness.'  The 700 year old Inspeximus Issue of the Magna Carta, bought for the Commonwealth National Library in 1952, was housed in the King's Hall of Parliament House.  White had it transferred to the new building for the opening, but parliamentarians were outraged, and Senate voted 40 to 7 in a free vote to have it reinstated in Parliament House, where it stayed.[62]

In the weeks leading up to the opening, the staff had moved its collections from the scattered repositories around