Dr Gertrude Langer was the first professionally qualified art historian to reside in Queensland. She obtained her PhD in Art History from the University of Vienna in 1933 and, after Hitler's annexation of Austria in 1938, she and her husband, a qualified architect, left for Australia. The following year, they arrived in Brisbane — which, after the sophistication of Vienna, could only be described as a cultural backwater. Dr Langer gave lectures on Art History (including Asian art) from 1940–44, as well as giving private classes from her home. She joined the QAG Society in 1952 and served on the Committee between 1956 and 1981. She was president of the Society in 1965–66 and 1974–75.

Dr Langer was President of the Queensland Branch of the Arts Council of Australia for 14 years and was art critic for the Courier-Mail from 1956–84. She supported contemporary art throughout her career, and privately collected Asian art. Upon her death in 1984, QAG received a substantial group of items as a bequest. This included a group of contemporary Australian paintings, drawings and ceramics, and some items from Austria, together with 63 netsuke, seven inro and a small quantity of other Asian artifacts. Netsuke — small pieces of ivory, wood or lacquer, often elaborately carved with figurative motifs — were used to suspend articles by a cord from garments. They are highly valued for the quality of their carving and were often executed by famous carvers. Inro are small lacquer boxes attached to a cord and similarly suspended. They were divided into compartments for seals or medicines and are usually found in wood with lacquer decoration.