Merchandising: Gallery's Latest Find
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday June 29, 1990
The mummy-shaped erasers were the first to go, followed by the scarab fridge magnets. Tea-towels, bookmarks, carry-bags, T-shirts, 30,000 catalogues... they were all snapped up by culture vultures eager to take home a bit of Civilisation.
A total of 190,162 people flocked to the Australian National Gallery's recent exhibition of antiquities from the British Museum. The exhibition, called Civilisation, was a box-office bonanza, but the real "killing" was in merchandising.
After two months of operation, the souvenir shop sold just under $1 million(original target: $750,000).
Much of the merchandise was obtained through the Crafts Council, which was given $25,000 and a pile of reference material. It selected the craftspeople who then produced a range of items bearing classical motifs, from teapots to silk scarves.
The buying spree was not confined to the inexpensive: two lapis lazuli necklace-and-earring sets were sold, for $2,500 each; and five $800 glass vases. The vase-maker then refused to produce any more copies, arguing that his artistic integrity was being compromised.
Melbourne is now embracing Civilisation; the exhibition opened yesterday at the Museum of Victoria, where the forecast attendance is a conservative 230,000-250,000.
Despite the transfer, merchandising remains the ANG's preserve. Little wonder that from tomorrow a new entrepreneurial arm of the national gallery will begin operation. And little wonder that the gallery is now considering a Civilisation 2, which would concentrate on the Middle East.
In Sydney, The Age of Suleyman the Magnificent, an Art Gallery of NSW blockbuster which opened on Tuesday, is being similarly exploited.
The Suleyman exhibition was organised by the International Cultural Corporation of Australia, which celebrated its first decade - and $14 million of merchandising sales - the same day. ICCA recently sent its new business manager, Mr Graham Jephcott, to Istanbul. He spent five days bartering in the Grand Bazaar and at the Istanbul Handicrafts Centre; returning with two suitcases full of trinkets. More goodies arrive Tuesday.
Meanwhile, at The Australian Museum, Lula Saunders supervises three shops, one of which is devoted to Dinosaurs Alive merchandising: models in wood and plastic; Dinosaur Crossing signs; caps; badges; decals or a tape of dinosaur songs (tracks include Fossil Rock, Evolution Shuffle and Rheotosaurus Love Song). Estimated turnover for this financial year is $800,000.
© 1990 Sydney Morning Herald