THE EXHIBITION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 48, 25 August 1939, Page 11

THE EXHIBITION

CATHOLIC PAVILION

"OUTSTANDING ART EXHIBITS"

The Catholic Pavilion at the Centennial Exhibition symbolises the part which the Roman Catholic Church has played in the building of New Zealand. It will take the form of a church designed on modern lines, and will be typical of the ecclesiastical architecture seen today in Western Europe, and to an increasing extent in the United States, simple, severe, and yet dignified. It will stand in the General Exhibits Court, in a spot where height' may be made use of, and.yet a distant view is possible. Two rounded buttresses flank the central doors, between which will rise a majestic figure of Christ. Surmounting this, it is hoped to erect a richly-coloured stained glass window from a famous Dublin studio.

On either side of the main entrance plaques in bas-relief, measuring 9ft by 2ft 6in, representing the twelve Apostles, will.be inset, six on each side. On the eastern and western faces of the pavilion provision has been made for two statues designed by the Benedictine Monks of Maria Laach Monastery, in Germany, world-famous craftsmen, who, it is hoped, will send other examples of their work. The educational value of these works will make it regrettable if the unsettled conditions prevent their exrort from Germany. The pavilion will be erected in cream wallboard, with a deep purple background. The space covered will be 55ft by 25ft. It is intended to have a reproduction of the Vatican City, either in model or by transparencies of aerial views. A frieze will portray outstanding events in the history of the Church, and an endeavour will be made to present ay exhibit of relics of Catholic history in New Zealand. Life-size figures will show the work of the Sisters amongst the lepers of Makogai.

In art, a striking feature should be the work of the well-known sculptor, Miss Margaret Butler, well known in the Salon in Paris and in the Royal Academy in London. The statue of Christ and the bas-reliefs, of the Apostles are the work of Sister Lawrence, of St. Mary's Convent, Hill Street. In all probability an example of the work of Eric Gill, one of England's foremost sculptors, and the picture, "Conversation Piece," by James Gunn. will be lent to the Pavilion.

The limited size of the pavilion will prevent the display of many school exhibits, but it has been decided to hold one in one of the Catholic halls of the city during Congress Week in February.