Portico Doors

Donated by Sir William Dixson in memory of David Scott Mitchell, 1942

Inspired by the style of doors that graced the entries of some of America’s most significant public buildings, the bronze portico doors illustrate various elements of Australian history. The central doors honour European explorers of Australia; the left side shows the navigators who explored Australia’s coast and the right side, the explorers who travelled inland (the individual panels identify each explorer by name). The reliefs on the bordering doors were originally planned to depict the various arts and sciences represented in the Library’s collection, but the principal librarian William Ifould rejected the concept in favour of panels illustrating scenes from the lives of Australian Aboriginal people.

Planning for the doors began in the early 1930s, however Ifould’s vision for ‘a beautiful pair of bronze entrance doors’ quickly became embroiled in controversy. Much debate focused on the subject matter, particularly the Aboriginal panels, which some thought should feature portraits of governors. The process also came under fire. Ifould’s tight control was criticised in the press, with comments that the artists should be selected by public competition, while a perception that an enemy-alien had been chosen to create the central doors was seen as outrageous (Arthur Fleischmann was in fact Slovakian born). The cost of the doors was also criticised, with many arguing that the money would be better spent on home defence.