VISIT BY REWI ALLEY

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28001, 22 June 1956, Page 9

VISIT BY REWI ALLEY

ORIENTAL HALL OPENING MUSEUM BOARD FAVOURS INVITATION The Canterbury Museum Trust Board has recorded “its desire” that Mr Rewi Alley should be i+s guest of honour at the opening of its new hall of Oriental art. but the finance committee will investigate whether funds can be found to finance his visit from China.

The principle that the invitation should be issued was approved yesterday on the suggestion of the Director (Dr. Roger Duff), who formally reported Mr Alley’s gift to the museum of thousands of pounds worth of old Chinese artifacts—the major part of his own personal collection. This was undoubtedly the most valuable Oriental collection ever to come to the museum, even though an important range had already been assembled, largely through Mr Aliev’s individual gifts since 1935, Dr. Duff said. It would be fitting that in appreciation of his long interest. Mr Alley should be invited by the board to the opening of the Oriental hall in which his collection would be the most important section. Dr. Duff said. The date of this function would probably be early in 1958. The proposed hall was now scoring much of the material from other parts of the museum during reconstruction. The earliest date at which it could be cleared would be on ‘he scheduled completion nf the building contract in May. 1957: but with special efforts (in which the Friends of the Museum might well assist) it should be possible to arrange the disnlav by late in 1957 or early in 1958. The Oriental hall will be behind the fine arts gallery, which is at the head of the new stairway from the main vestibule.

Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon. supported by Mr C. W. Tvler, moved that the museum record its desire that Mr Alley be invited to attend the opening of the Oriental hall and suggested that the feasibility of the plan be investigated by the finance committee.

Dr. Duff said in his report that, while in China, he had been able to obtain indispensable first-hand knowledge of the geographical and historical setting of the museum’s growing collection of old Chinese artifacts. In addi + ion to the gifts bv Mr Alley, small but imnortent contributions were presented bv the Imperial Palace Museum at Peking, the Sian and Nanking Museums, and the Shanghai bureau for the Preservation of Cultural Relics. The Director of the Imperial D alace Museum has announced plans for the earlv establishment of China’s first natural history museum. “I am sure the board would wish to give a moa skeleton this museum is set up,” Dr. Duff said.