DUNEDIN ART GALLERY

Evening Star, Issue 19196, 12 March 1926, Page 10

DUNEDIN ART GALLERY

- - -$ A PUBLIC APPEAL TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Under the Smeaton bequest tho council of the .Art Gallery lias rortitiin funds which must for tho next fifteen years bo devoted to tho purchase of British or Scottish oil or water color pictures. From these funds we have purchased from the British section of the Exhibition Gallery ten pictures, which will make an important addition to onr civic collection; but wo have no money to spend on pictures other than British or Scottish unless tho public come to onr aid. Tho standard of excellence of tho .American collection in the Exhibition is very high, and of tho forty-eight pictures for sale wo are very anxious to retain ten or twelve for tho city, and if funds are available wo should also be glad to secure some of the British bronzes.

At a mooting of tho council of ’.he Art Gallery held to-day it was resolved to appeal to the public for help, ami we decided to mention tho pictures which we consider are most iiesirablo to strengthen onr collection, ft is tho more necessary to take action, as it is improbable that for many years shall we again have such a carefully selected collection of American pictures from which to choose.

We should bo grateful to have one or all of the following list on our walls :■—■ Gallery N.: No. 1, ‘ Silver Sea ’; No. 2, ‘Snow Mantle,’; No. 11, ‘ The Red Head’; No. 31, "New England Wastes’: No. 39 ‘The Old Mill’; No. 40, ‘ Turkey Mother and Poulcts ’; No. 42, ‘Nan’; No. 43, ‘Tho Venetian Arcade ’; No. 44, ‘ The Brook ’; No. 50, ‘ Clear and Cold.’ 'There are several others wo should like to have if Binds are available, and tho list above is not arranged in order of choice, but us they hang on tho walls. My personal feeling is that it will be very regrettable, if wo do not retain ‘The Silver Sen,’ ‘Snow Mantle,’ ‘ The Red Head,’ and ‘ Nan,’ and as many' of tbo others as the generosity of the public will allow. I have already approached a few public-spirited citizens on this subject, and have received cheques or promises amounting to nearly £I,OOO. Is it too much to ask the community to increase this sum fourfold to retain among us works of art which will lie of great value for all time from an educational as well as from an aesthetic point of view? If we have your support in our effort 1 feel sure that our object will be attained.—l am, etc., H. L. Fetuu'sox, President Dunedin Art Gallery Society. Contributions already received are as follow :

£ <8. d. H. Undo Ferguson mn n 0 C. Speight 100 n 0 I?. Hudson 100 n 0 Anon Alt 0 0 Anon on 0 0 Anon 00 0 0 Arthur Barnett ... 50 0 0 J). Theomiu 50 0 0 Mrs Ritchie 50 0 0 J. C. Afarshnll ... 50 0 0 Mr ami Mrs G. Todd 50 0 0 Sir John Roberts 50 0 0 Sir "Win. Sim 25 0 0 T. Somerville 2‘) 0 0 C. P. M. Buttenvorth 25 0 0 Sir George Fenwick 25 0 0 W. h. Simpson ... 10 10 0 E. Anscombo 10 10 0 B. Throp 10 0 0 Alfred Fels 10 0 0 P. Hay in 0 0 E. M. Theomin ... 10 0 0 Park, Reynolds ... 7 10 0 J. Loudon o n 0 H. L. 'J’apley 5 5 0 P. Barr 5 *) 0 F. /■ -Monro 0 5 0 W. T. Alonkmnn i) 0 0 E. Price 5 0 0 IT. Price 5 0 0 J. A fill .I 0 (1 F. W. Mitchell ... 5 0 0 .Miss Mill .‘i 0 £907 in 0