FINE ARTS CLUB.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1233, 15 September 1911, Page 6

FINE ARTS CLUB.

6 LECTURE BY JIB. A. HAMILTON. An interesting lecture was given by Mr. A. Hamilton at the Arts Club last evening, on "Our National Gallery." Colonel Vernon, tho designer of the Sydney Art Gallery, who has been appointed judge for the competitive designs for tho new House of Parliament, presided. Mr. Hamilton took, as his keynote, tho nature of the collections that should bo in a National Gallery, and placed before his audience a certain ideal. It was, ho said, necessary to have a skeleton programme setting out main lines, and also as many details as possible. For instance, the pictures displayed should aim at modest collections illustrating the early phases of pictorial art. For his own part ho would regret to see sums of money expended either by the authorities of the National Gallery, or by tho prospective donors upon pictures of, say, tho early Italian schools, • but still such should be represented. Ho would like to seo provision made for a representative historical series of the progress of painting in the various media up to the present time—these pictures to be hung in a portion of the gallery devoted to tho history of art. The next division should be modern art, taking modern art as commencing about the middle of last century, and -then a section might be devoted to pictures, painted by New Zealanders—pictures which might bo claimed as New Zealand art. In a National collection there should also bo established a special gallery, or special section of a gallery, which might contain a collection of portrait;; and historical subjects relating to New Zealand. This would he an important feature, and perhaps more closely related to tho museum than the rest. It would bo convenient to have busts and portraits of tho pio-n-eers in tho national life of New Zealand in a separate hall or gallery devoted to their honour.

The standing of a national gallery depended largely upon the attitude of thoso who wero responsible for the collections, in' maintaining a high ideal as to exhibits, regardless of other considerations. Summing up, the speaker stated that he hoped to see the establishment of a National Art Gallery for New Zealand, and he hoped that one aim of the collections should be to set out the history of the fine arts. In other words, provision should be made for a duo exhibition of paintings, sculptures, fino art workmanship in' metals, glass, pottery, textiles, etc. In connection with the establishment of this gallery, it might bo possible to have, from time to time, loan collections of pictures and works of art sent out to New Zealand for exhibition for a specified time, and, in view of this, it would bo well to have a space reserved for such collections.