NEW ART GALLERY

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20027, 8 September 1930, Page 13

NEW ART GALLERY

♦- — ■ QUESTION OF CONTROL. PROVISION -OP PICTURES. . That manner of cottfefol of the new Art Gallery when r built, as well as the provision of pictures to be hung on its walls,' were matters, that could well'be left for consideration at a later stage, was the opinion expressed by members, of the- Council of the So* cietyof Arts and of .the City! administration when questioned on the subject on Saturday. The general; feeling was one of reliefthat atlastmatters had reached a position,,where -the work of preparing the ground for the gallery; could proceed. . * The Town Clerk,. Mr J, 8. Neville, pointed out that the maintenance of the building, would be a matter foot the - City - Council, as . well the pay- ■ ■■■ ment of .whatever staff might ;be neces» sary to keep it and its contents _in good order. As'far as the provisioa of pictures-for the -Gallery*went, th« City already possessed some, which wer* , at the Art Society's gallery. These werec "Nasturtiums" (Ida Catey), and "The ; Drover" (E. Wallwork)," the gift of Mr G. Humphreys, "Marseille?'/, (Owen ,Merton), given by Miss Gregg, "The Bible-reading" . (Henrietta . Brown), given by Mr It. E. .McDougall,_and fTho Swing" (Norman given by Mr G. -Sevicke Jones. " Consideration ■ had also .to be given to the Jamieson bequest, and to the offer of-the Society of Arts, and to any possible future gifts of pictures It id understood that 'When; any pie* tore,is offered Jo- is »<jw thf? custom fpr it id be fora do* ciWn to 4 special committee .before being fin&lly'Accepted. The members of the committee', include Cijfcy GouncjJlora apd.representatives'fof tie Society of"! Arts. This committee would-probably continue to "operate "in regard to any future gifts, making way'for'a further committee later. , s -,, ' Jamieson Bequest. r V " * The qjffer of the Society of 1 Arts rei ferred to -by Mr Neville decided j on .at a meeting of the Council of the * Society'on May 24th," 1927, whenth* Jamieson bequest of '-pictures > and ob- ' jets d'artj was beings "lilisetissed. >Thii terms of the actual v motil3& ; were:—" r / t "That a 'sub-committee offer l to hand . over to the City CGtofcil- the- Society's permanent collection- on- the' same' conr ditions as those laid down" "by thelatf Mr - JamieSon (i.e./thit it Y «hotdd 1 be 7 V Suitably housed)', "and' proyid^|f, v > ]H»t ■ ■ '- t the Society was adequately -represented on the board "of 'trustees^'From ear quiries made it appears *that, s this * iflw of'the Society of. Arts still'holds good -'under the"* conditions' stated,' aiid 'J# Ws> lation- to any .'pictures :co"nfli4erAd suite ' \ j able for the new gallery. -; By over this collection to tbe City. Gallery . the Society wi|l have more spacs availr ' able on its walls to hang pictures far its-, own .exhibitions,, the . need »• ~j move the'permqnent collection from fhe walls before an exhibition' could be held, „ having in j, the, past caused v some incohr - venience to; tha Society,, \ , / * ~ The:Eociety?B, .concerning .its representationion -tha' -Tx>ard e£ t , trustees.'of the JhqflSag draws attention to. the question of the .mannerof control of - • . the'gaUfery when it; is finally-opened. Mr, McDougaU'S'; opinion on the matter at . the time when he made .his gift to the City, in April* .1928, t was expressed is his letter to the Council. He wrote:"No dopbt a - small "bojard of conversant with art will be appointed to control-it.''. ■ ' .Although "no, definite statement coi* ; cerning the."! <kmtß»liof jHW; and the .collection it may house is avail- ' able, the opinion has been expressed • recently,, and seems general among those ; interestedin art, that some sort Of board of trustees should be set tip, and that the members ;<>f this board mdA consist mainly- of ! those with a know- "• ledge of art. It was pointed out" that ■ for the direction of such an instito- - tion special qualifications were required.