FINE ARTS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 44, 20 August 1925, Page 9

FINE ARTS

NEW ZEALAND ACADEMY

THE NATIONAL GALLERY .; .PROJECT

' An interesting >evie\y of tlie ■ year's ' work is given by the Council of the New Zealand - Academy .'of.. Fine. Arts' iri. its annual report for the year ended 30th June last. ,"'.', •.':'.■ ■ ."'.'!..■■'•''■ During the year 35 subscribing members and 28- artist members',were added to the r roll, the year closing '.with 522 subscribing, 155 artist, and J.jife* members. At the annual exhibition, held iri September, although the work shown waß well up' to the standard of any previous year and the attendance of the public-most encouraging/ the returns from sales did not reach the high record established the. previous yeari The number of works Vsold was 72, of a total value'of £522 ss. An exhibition;, ol sketches was held in May, and<remainsd open for a fortnight.' The attendance at the exhibition was highly satisfactory,, but the sales-were little above. the average, the total value amounting to £169 Is. Towards 1 the close of the year, at" the invitation of the council, Mrs. Maud Sherwood, a well-known New Zea- ; land artist, now working -in Sydney, showed a representative collection of her paintings, in the upper gallery. The ex? hibition aroused keen interest among art lovers, in Wellington, and .'members will join in ; congratulating Mrs. Sherwood upon the excellence of her work and the success of' ■ her venture. A number of new works were added-during the year to the permanent' collection; '■' :" "Last year's annual report," proceeds the council, "outlined the • et«ps tikeii by your council,with a view, to the establishment of a" National Art Gallery in Wellington in . the' n«ar future. Since the publication of last yearVteport "the scheme hasadyanceda stage.: T3ie Government, in response to the petition of a large deputation which waited upon ■ the late Prime Minister, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, '.agreed to make provision -for a joint-Dominion Museum and Art Gallery' at'» cost^of £200,000," on condition that the •cademy and the public would contribute £100,----.000 of that amount: Your council further urged that;the,academy be permitted to dispose of its" present "lite and building and devote the. proceeds as rpart' of its contribution 'to the Dominion Museum and Art Gallery Building Fund, and that space'be provided in the new' building for the academy's periodical exhibitions. Owing, however, to the . long, painful illness of the late Prime Minister, which ended*ih his death, and. ;the subsequent reconstructipn' of 'the Ministry/final consideration of that important aspect of the question has been, deferred. It is hoped, however, that the Citizens^ Committee will be in a position to discuss the matter with the Hon. the; Minister of Internal .Affairs at an early date. By'the death of th« Right Hon. Mr. Massey the academy has lost a true friend, and one who through-* out his long term of office showed a sincere appreciation of the work 'we ar« endeavouring to do. Our great sorrow is that he could not have lived to tee; in'some part at least,-the fruition of the National Art Gallery project. ■ ; ' -v. "The balance at credit of the Building Fund in. the P.O. Savings Bank now stands at £429 163,2(1. If the proposals of the Citizens': Committee for a Domiri-. ion Museum and Art Gallery are adopted by. the. Government in their entirety, members will be asked to approve the transfer of the-academy's building /aid to a common.'fundifor tho erection of the -Dominion' building." ■,-■-. ' "'.:."'''■ The • Academy Studio. Club,. which is subsidised by the academy, continue* t<» serve the'inost useful purpose, for whicii it was instituted. It affords an opportunity for ;.'those who■'' have . passed through the art schools to continue their studies, an opportunity^ largely availed of with most- beneficial results. ■•'■, ■ In accordance with the articles of us* sociation the president..(Mr: Ernest «Vi Hunt), one' vice-president (Mr. Charles . Wilson^ the hon^ treasurer-(Mr. H. .E.-.': Anderson),?four members of council (MrN. 'Welch. Miss Richmond, "Mr. T. 8. Weston, and Colonel Carbery), and the auditor (Mr. '■ O. D. Morpeth) "retire : irom office. AH are eligible for/ re^ election. V' ,' - v "; ,;.,/.. ...... •• . ■•