A lesson in provenance and updates from Council following revelations that the late Wollongong Art Gallery donor Bob Šredersas was a Nazi.
Last month, an investigation into the life of Wollongong resident and Wollongong Art Gallery donor, the late Bronius ‘Bob’ Šredersas (1910-1982) confirmed suspicions that he was a Nazi intelligence officer during the Second World War.
Understandably, the discovery placed the regional NSW art gallery and its collection under the spotlight.
Consequently, Wollongong Council – which runs the Gallery – engaged Sydney Jewish Museum to build a more informed narrative around the collection.
Most recently, Council removed the plaque within the Gallery’s Burelli Street building that named a small gallery space in Šredersas‘ honour.
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM told ArtsHub: ‘We are now working on the narrative around the collection, which will then be submitted to the Jewish Museum and their resident historian Professor Konrad Kwiet to get their feedback.’
He stressed that the funds Šredersas used to purchase the artworks, which were donated to the Gallery in 1977 and included around 100 pieces by artists Arthur Streeton, Pro Hart and AH Fullwood, among others – were not associated with his Nazi Party activities.
After arriving in Australia in the 1950s, Šredersas kept a low profile and worked as a labourer in the steelworks in Port Kembla.
Read the article by Celina Lei on Arts Hub.