b'5eye, the interest in Indian spiritualism alsocreation of a mural on Melbournes NGV drew his attention to Indian art and artefactsWater Wall. Without any templates or and so a new area of collection began tosketches to rely on, and using a cherry picker, emerge. Once his attention was drawn to theHaring created the large scale mural from indigenous art of one county, of one culture,white, black and red paint, taking just two it was almost inevitable that his eye woulddays to complete the work. It was the first be drawn to the African, Asian and Australianartwork to ever be painted on the NGV Water indigenous artefacts which also found theirWall and his photos are the only record. [The ways into his collection.original photos and negatives are offered in Geoffrey had no artistic talent himself otherthis catalogue.]than being a fine amateur photographer andGeoffrey never left his parents modest he had no formal training in the fine arts. Hissuburban home in Melbourne. When his knowledge was acquired through exhaustivemother, Beryl, and his father, Chris, both died reading and with an innate ability to be ablein the early 1990s, he retired from the NGV to identify objects and art pieces that wouldand although living on a modest income, have enduring worth. These capabilitiesdevoting himself to collecting. He moved out were sufficient for him, on leaving secondaryof the two bedroom house into a bungalow school in 1965 to get an assistant curatorsout the back, and this meant the whole house role at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV),became a repository for the ever expanding where he worked for the next 28 years, beforecollection. To Italian glassware was added taking early retirement.That long and fruitfulEuropean and Japanese Pottery, Australian employment gave him the opportunity tocraft ware, painted skateboards, Italian 1960s hone his skills and a context in which to applystandard lamps and even Space Invader his knowledge.mosaics.Reflective of his abilities to read trendsIn these retirement years Geoffrey would in popular culture and the collectablesspend much of his time visiting galleries, associated with these trends, were somevintage bazaars, and potteries, enjoying of his early donations to the NGV. Very fewcoffee and conversation with staff and people in the late 1970 and early 1980s foroften buying something that would enhance example, would have foreseen the culturalhis collection. Geoffrey never owned a significance of an Adidas trainer, a Calyxcomputer nor a mobile phone, so collecting table lamp, Trippi boots or an Aleks Dankowas done via face to face contact or through hessian bag enamel artwork. All of thesenetworking. The Geoffrey Burke collection were amongst many items Geoffrey gifted tois a testimony to what can be assembled on the NGV in the 1980s. a limited income but with an excellent eye Another of Geoffreys contributions to thefor originality, creativity, innovation and the NGV was his photograph of Keith Haringsvalue of artistic friendships.Robert RooneyPortrait of Geoff Burke and Jennifer Phipps, 1979cibachrome photograph19.229.3 cm'