The stencil is part of a rare collection documenting an important and highly controversial event in the dramatic story of the construction of the Sydney Opera House. Jorn Utzon won the competition to design the Opera House on 29 January 1957. Construction commenced in 1959 but was beset by problems relating to its complex, pioneering engineering and to its ever-escalating cost. The defeat of the New South Wales State Labor Party in May 1965 saw Norman Ryan, an Utzon supporter, supplanted by Davis Hughes as Minister for Public Works. Hughes was intent on containing the Opera House costs and exercising more control over Utzon and his team. In an effort to do this Hughes withheld Utzon's fees and refused to approve funding to enable plywood mock-ups of the auditoria interiors to proceed. He also played architect against engineer in an attempt to discredit Utzon. Finally, exasperated, Utzon resigned from the Sydney Opera House project on 28 February 1966 and returned to Denmark. He was never to return to Sydney and thus has never seen his completed building.

Following Utzon's resignation a sustained campaign, led by Sydney architects and concerned members of the public, was pursued to persuade the state government and the public to have Utzon reinstated as architect on the project. Despite Utzon's stated willingness to return to the Opera House in 1967-68 and work in collaboration with Peter Hall, the architect appointed to take over from him, he was not reinstated. The protest campaign, waged over two years, lost its momentum in 1968 when it became evident that the government was determined to keep Utzon out of the project.

This stencil for three 'anti-Davis Hughes' posters was made by John Kinstler, a young architect then employed by the Public Works Department in the New South Wales Government Architect's Office. It is part of a collection, kept by the donors since the late 1960s, that also includes a variety of posters, printing blocks and a silkscreen used to print the posters. Examples of the posters printed from the stencil are held by Elias Duek-Cohen, a leading participant in the 'Bring Utzon back' campaign.

Made by John Kinstler, an architect in the New South Wales Government Architect's Office, Sydney, 1967.

The stencil was made by John Kinstler for printing three 'anti Davis Hughes' posters devised and distributed by himself and a group of architects and interior designers working in the Government Architect's office, Sydney, early 1967, as part of the movement to have Jorn Utzon returned as architect of the Sydney Opera House following his 'forced' resignation in February 1966. The donors were both architects in the Government Architect's office at the time and assisted with poster design, printing and distribution, as did Ted Mack, later Mayor of North Sydney and state and federal MP. Elias Duek-Cohen, another active member of the group, holds examples of the three posters printed from the stencil.

Poster stencil, silk / paper, made by John Kinstler, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1967

Silk stencil with paper around edges for printing three posters as part of the 'Bring Utzon back' campaign: 'UP / COSTS / DELAYS / OUT / HUGHES', 'HUGHES / BUILDS / DRAINS / NOT / OPERA / HOUSES' and 'OPERA / HOUSE / IS OURS / NOT / HUGHES'.

Made: Kinstler, John; Sydney; 1967


Used: Sydney; 1967

No marks

2007/9/7

1967

520 mm

940 mm

2 mm