Portrait Of Spain: Masterpieces From The Prado

Masterpieces from the Prado’ has been specially curated for the Queensland Art Gallery by the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (the Prado). It is the largest and most significant international loan the Prado has ever undertaken, and is also the first exhibition from their collection ever to be shown in the Southern Hemisphere. This exhibition features over 100 masterpieces from one of the most revered collections of European painting in the world and tells the story of the evolution of painting in Spain over three and a half centuries. This ‘portrait of Spain’ shows the internal and external factors that contributed to the development of modern Spanish identity, through developments in painting on the Iberian Peninsula. On display are masterpieces by leading painters of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, including El Greco, Velázquez, Ribera and Murillo. Foreign artists who worked for the royal court and directly influenced the development of painting in Spain are also well represented, with superb paintings by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo and Anton Raphael Mengs all featured. Courtly life under the Habsburg (1516–1700) and Bourbon (1700–1808) monarchs will be glimpsed through outstanding paintings from the Royal Collections, which formed the basis of the Prado when it was established in 1819. These include portraits, mythological scenes, devotional paintings and exquisite still lifes that reveal the splendour of Spain’s ‘Golden Age’. The life and times of various levels of Spanish civil society are portrayed in works by noted artists from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Pre-eminent among these was Francisco de Goya, whose work is represented by major paintings and an important selection of prints from his three extraordinary and confronting series, 'Los Caprichos', 'Los Disparates' and 'Los Desastres de la Guerra' (‘The Disasters of War’). The emergence of a fledgling Spanish national identity in the mid nineteenth century is witnessed in a series of landscapes, portraits, religious scenes and nudes by major figures in nineteenth-century Spanish painting such as Federico de Madrazo, Eduardo Rosales, Mariano Fortuny, Aureliano de Beruete and Joaquín Sorolla. These paintings both reflect the emergence of a modern Spain and demonstrate the ways in which the visual arts assisted in its formation. This is an unprecedented opportunity to see extraordinary works of art, created by some of history’s most renowned and revered painters, from one of the most prestigious and unique museum collections in the world. The Museo Nacional del Prado The Museo Nacional del Prado (the Prado), Madrid, is one of the leading museums of the world, recognised for its unparalleled collection of European painting and sculpture, and, in particular, its holdings of Flemish, Italian and Spanish painting. The Prado’s strengths in these areas are due to the tastes of the Spanish monarchs who, from the fifteenth century onwards, avidly collected art and patronised contemporary artists such as Titian, Rubens, Velázquez, Murillo and Tiepolo. Today, the Prado is one of the most visited museums in the world and, through its dynamic exhibition, publishing, conservation and research programs, continues to influence art historical research and contemporary museology. EVENT TIMES Sunday 9am - 5pm Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

Star Chef To Tantalise At The Ekka

BRILLIANT Ipswich chef David Manz will share his refreshing brand of cooking with Ekka-goers today.

Manz, head chef at Platform 9 Restaurant and Lounge Bar in the Metro Hotel Ipswich International, will demonstrate how to cook a mouth-watering burger at midday.

Aspiring cooks can learn the secrets to making the perfect burger.

Manz said he was looking forward to putting a fresh twist on an Ekka-season favourite.
"I decided to cook a dish in keeping with the Ekka theme, and also to bring a professional edge to a dish that can be cooked at home," he said.

"This burger's a bit different because it's Asian-inspired."

Manz said spices such as cardamom and cumin, combined with gourmet beef, made the dish a treat for tastebuds.

"The mince is made from eye fillet, and there's lettuce, tomato and bacon on the bun," he said.
Manz said today's demonstration would be his first.

"It's exciting, I've worked hard since I start my apprenticeship at 21 so it's great to be invited to do this nine years on," Manz said.

His experience includes working at Brisbane's Ecco Bistro, and a year at Platform 9.

Manz completed his apprenticeship in Ipswich and was happy to have returned.

"My future goal is to own and run my own restaurant, and I'd like to do it locally," he added.

Celebrity chef Dominique Rizzo will host Manz's demo, as well as others at the show.
 
GOURMET STYLE

• Manz will prepare a beef burger on a sourdough bun with sweet lychee chilli sauce, hand-cut chips and lime and ginger aioli.
• He said fresh ingredients, including meat minced at home and mixed with duck fat, made for a great burger.

Ekka Opening Surpasses Expectations

Ekka organisers say they were pleased with the turn-out for the opening day of this year's Royal Brisbane Show. 

The first day of the Ekka is usually a comparatively quiet affair, but officials say more than 20,000 people streamed through the gates yesterday.

Among them was Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush.

The Toowoomba-born actor says Ekka food and Sideshow Alley were an important part of his 1960s boyhood.

"We'd only just got television so going on the Paratrooper or the Mad Mouse was as exciting as it could be," he said.

Times have also changed for veteran cattle producer David Raff.

"When we first started showing there weren't such things as blowers and we just had to brush and brush and brush - very laborious," he said.

Competition remains a cornerstone of the 10-day event, with more than 23,000 entrants presenting their beef cattle, produce, craftwork and baking to the judges.

The Ekka offers more than $470,000 prize money this year and runs until August 18.

Relax Visa Rules For Tourists From Developing Countries, Says UN

AUSTRALIA needs to relax its strict visa requirements for visitors from developing countries if it wants to boost tourism and effectively target the emerging giants of China and India. 

UN World Tourism Organisation secretary-general Taleb Rifai yesterday said there was no evidence that tough entry conditions on tourists were necessary to protect security, and Australia and other developed countries needed to ease their regimes.

"Visas are becoming a real nightmare," Mr Rifai told a tourism conference in Melbourne.

"It is not reasonable to still see long lines, very cumbersome, uneasy, complicated, lengthy, overpriced entry formalities all over the world, particularly facing nationals from countries that are rising and countries that are providing the base for future incoming tourists.

"There is no evidence to establish that there are close and very strong links between visas and security issues."

Chinese and Indian visitors have provided the greatest annual growth to tourism numbers over the past decade but face a number of bureaucratic hurdles to come here.

Those travelling to Australia for the first time must provide bank statements or other financial information, as well as a letter from their employer showing their position and salary, length of employment and approval for leave, or evidence of enrolment for students.

If visiting relatives or friends, a letter of invitation from the relative or friend in Australia may also be required.

While the tourism industry has bemoaned the high Australian dollar for making Australia less competitive as a destination, Mr Rifai told The Australian visa requirements and easier international travel should be seen as a greater priorities.

"The cost is not the major factor here, it's the ease of reaching here, cost of travel and cost and complications of entry," said the former Jordanian government minister.

"Cost is a very important element in competitiveness but it should not be too much of an obsession.
"Some of the most attractive destinations in the world are some of the most expensive destinations in the world as well."

UNESCO has threatened to declare the Great Barrier Reef "in danger" if conservation efforts are not improved, but Mr Rifai said Australia should be congratulated for setting itself high environmental targets.

"The fact that Australia has these very valuable reefs places more responsibility on Australia, but I think all in all you should be satisfied with what you're doing so far," he said. "On environmental counts, Australia is doing very, very well."

G20 'Terrific' for Brisbane Tourism

HOSTING the G20 forum will be the perfect opportunity to show Brisbane off to the world, the head of Queensland's Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) says. 

Brisbane will host the 2014 meeting of the world's 20 largest economies, bringing about 4000 delegates and 3000 media to the city, federal Treasurer Wayne Swan announced on Wednesday.
QTIC chief executive Daniel Gschwind said the event was terrific news for the state's ever-important tourism sector.

"It's very exciting for the city to be put in the spotlight, and hopefully it'll be not as controversial as some G20 events in the past," he told AAP.

"I'm sure it'll deliver a boost for businesses in the lead-up and afterwards as well."

Mr Gschwind said Brisbane now had the infrastructure to host a major international summit.
"There are some fantastic facilities here with the Convention Centre, which was significantly expanded this year," he said.

 "We have an entertainment precinct on South Bank with excellent cultural establishments, so the events and business side of Brisbane travel has done exceptionally well in recent years and will continue to do so."

OVO CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOWING IN AUSTRALIA

About The Show - OVO CIRQUE DU SOLEIL




 Cirque du Soleil returns to Australia with a spectacular new production for the whole family, presented under the blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top).

OVO is a headlong rush into a colourful eco-system teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects' home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion.

When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives.

It's love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye - and the feeling is mutual.

The cast of OVO is comprised of 54 performing artists from 16 countries specializing in many acrobatic acts. One highlight of OVO is the stunning flying trapeze act, in which six flyers soar 40 feet in the air, making this the biggest act of its kind to ever be presented under a big top by Cirque du Soleil. It combines many circus disciplines, including banquine, Russian swing and swinging chair. The finale features 20 artists running, jumping and leaping up a 24-foot vertical wall.

OVO is overflowing with contrasts. The hidden, secret world at our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic. And as the sun rises on a bright new day, the vibrant cycle of insect life begins anew.

OVO is written and directed by Deborah Colker.

"Overhead and on-the-ground, OVO is a whimsical infestation. It captivates as a vibrant, magical spectacle."

Chicago Now

"Cirque du Soleil turns bug's world upside-down in spectacular OVO."

Chicago Sun-Times

"Cirque du Soleil 'OVO' delivers the unbelievable. "

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Cirque hatches visual stunner."

Houston Chronicle

"OVO is an astonishing showcase of superhuman feats of strength, balance and contortion."

Houston Press

Brisbane Opens July 14, 2012

Sydney Opens September 13, 2012

Adelaide Opens December 06, 2012

Melbourne Opens January 17, 2013

Perth Opens April 14, 2013

Book at Ticketek

Brisbane's Airport Link reveals patronage figures for first week

Operating company Brisconnections has released a daily average for the first seven days since last Wednesday.

In that time, an average 77,320 vehicles a day went through the tunnel - a long way from the 135,000 vehicles a day BrisConnections hopes to achieve by the end of the three month toll free period.

The tunnel has experienced some teething problems including issues with traffic light sequences at exits and entrances and complaints about signage.

CEO Dr Ray Wilson said the first week had seen "solid traffic numbers and positive feedback from motorists about the road and time savings achieved".

"Motorists are quickly realising the value of this important new asset, with BrisConnections having received reports of time savings of up to 20 minutes to the airport as projected and considerably less traffic on suburban streets," Dr Wilson said.

"We have now witnessed the way AirportlinkM7 has revolutionised traffic movement around the city with its vital connections to the CBD, Airport, northern suburbs, Inner City Bypass, and Clem7 straight through to the Pacific Motorway."

He said the daily average was expected to grow as people adjust their travel patterns.

"Feedback has been positive with many motorists being surprised and delighted at the time savings they have achieved on their daily commutes," Dr Wilson said.

He said BrisConnections was working with the road authorities to refine some minor signage issues and traffic light sequencing on the surrounding road network.